The case of Estela Ramos Baten, a Guatemalan mother deported from the United States, has shocked both Guatemala and Los Angeles. The 45-year-old woman died on September 8 in Quetzaltenango, just two months after being sent back to her country with her daughter, Nory Sontay Ramos.

Estela and her daughter were detained on June 30 in Los Angeles during a routine immigration checkpoint. After passing through a detention center in Dilley, Texas, they were deported to Guatemala on July 4.

That was the beginning of a period of fear and confinement: both said they could not go out freely for fear of being recognized by members of the Calle 18 gang, who had already threatened them years before.

Since her return, Estela's health has deteriorated sharply. "I barely slept," Nory said. “I kept thinking about our situation and the possibility that the gang would find us. I was very worried.”

The woman suffered from high blood pressure and constant headaches, and, according to her daughter, she was unable to access the medication she was taking in the United States.

The death of a Guatemalan mother after being deported

On September 4, Estela began to feel ill. “We insisted on taking her to the doctor, but she refused. She was too afraid to go out,” Nory recounted.

That same night, her condition worsened: she vomited and collapsed in front of her daughters. “I feel like I'm going to die,” she managed to tell them. Despite attempts to revive her, she died around 11:30 p.m., before the ambulance arrived.

The death certificate listed the cause as “liver cirrhosis.” While her eldest daughter acknowledged that Estela had problems with alcohol in the past, she insisted she had stopped drinking years ago. For the family, the lack of medication was a determining factor in her outcome. "I want people to know that they took my mom's medication away and didn't give it back," Nory told other media outlets.Even before her death, after the tragedy, she repeated through tears: “They took away my mom’s medication. I had no way to help her.” However, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) assured that Estela was provided medical attention and prescribed medications during her time in Texas. However, the family clarifies that it was not only in Texas, but also in Los Angeles, during the first detention. Allegedly, her medication was confiscated and never returned. ICE also indicated that mother and daughter exhausted their legal options and that they received due process. Threatened by gangs Estela’s story was marked by persecution by gangs. In 2015, after separating from her husband, she was the victim of a brutal attack in her home in Guatemala.

“Suddenly, (one of the gang members) started hitting me in the face, dragging me on the floor by my hair, and shouting, ‘This is my last warning,’” she told immigration authorities at the time. That attack prompted her flight to the United States to seek asylum.

Although her case included evidence of threats and violence, her asylum application was rejected in 2019 and she was ordered to voluntarily leave, which she ultimately did not comply with. After several years in the US, she built a life in Los Angeles with her daughters, until she was deported this summer.

Estela's death devastated her loved ones in Los Angeles. Her partner, known only as “Jose” for security reasons, told NBC News: “When I spoke to her, I never imagined it would be the last time I would hear her voice.”

He explained that he was trying to send her medication from California, but the process was delayed. “The deportation killed her,” he said between sobs.

For Nory, 18, the tragedy meant losing her mother and being trapped in a country they fled out of fear. Her greatest hope now is to return to the United States to continue her studies and honor Estela’s memory.

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