Hospital Visit Ends in ICE Detention for Ecuadorian Mother and Daughter in Florida

• Mother and daughter in custody
• ICE intervenes after accident
• Family questions detention

A visit to the hospital after a traffic accident ended with a mother and her Ecuadorian daughter in immigration custody in Central Florida.

Giuliana Carriel Calero and her daughter, Grace Stephanie Calero, went to HCA Florida Regional Hospital in Poinciana to receive medical attention.

According to their relatives, both had valid immigration documents and were in the process of seeking political asylum in the United States.

The family claims that since they were taken into custody, they have been unable to communicate with them and do not know if they are receiving the necessary medical attention.

ICE detains mother and daughter after hospital visit

Giuliana and Grace were being treated for injuries related to the accident when, according to the family, they were informed that ICE was involved.

Gia, the sister of one of the women, recounted that she was inside the room when she was told that there would be contact with immigration authorities.

«I was inside the room and she tells me: ‘I have to make a call to ICE, they’re going to interview you,'» Gia recalled.

«And I asked: but why? If she came in for a car accident, not for an interview with ICE,» she added.

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The family shared with Telemundo 31 a video in which an official is heard explaining that ICE had requested to keep the women in custody.

According to that account, what initially was a visit to receive medical attention ended up becoming an intervention related to their immigration status.

«They didn’t care… they took them away… they treated her like a criminal,» said the sister of one of the detainees.

The woman added that her relative «only came to this country to work and comply with everything as the law says.»

Authorities claim that both had expired visas

«And it wasn’t until midnight that he finally flipped his badge over to reveal it said ICE on it,» said her sister Gia Calero.

An officer present at the hospital questioned them about their immigration status, but the family says he did not identify himself as actually working… pic.twitter.com/tRV9YhQlP3

— LongTime🤓FirstTime👨‍💻 (@LongTimeHistory) August 22, 2026

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office offered a different version of the immigration status of Giuliana and Grace.

According to the agency’s report to Telemundo 31, their agents determined that the driver was staying illegally in the United States after her visa expired.

Authorities pointed out that the visa had expired several years ago and that the woman had continued living in the country.

Subsequently, the agents reviewed the situation of the adult daughter, who had also been involved in the traffic accident.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, the agents determined that she was also staying illegally in the United States after her visa expired years ago.

This version directly contradicts what the relatives stated, who claim that the two Ecuadorian women had valid immigration documentation.

The family also claims that Giuliana and Grace were going through a political asylum process when the detention occurred.

So far, the information provided shows conflicting versions between the women’s relatives and the authorities regarding their immigration status.

Mother and daughter do not face criminal charges

🇺🇸🚨 A mother and her Ecuadorian daughter survived a violent traffic accident in Florida, but were detained by ICE agents while receiving medical attention at a hospital. The vehicle they were traveling in overturned after another car invaded their lane and… pic.twitter.com/7lvbrkvruu

— Ecuadorplay (@EcuadorPlay) August 21, 2026

One element confirmed by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office is that neither of the two women faces criminal charges.

Despite having no criminal accusations against them, both remain in custody at the county jail, according to the agency’s confirmation.

For their relatives, one of the main concerns now is the lack of communication since the two women were taken into custody.

The family claims that they have not been able to speak with Giuliana or Grace and fear that they may need medical attention related to the accident.

The case began after both women went to the hospital to receive medical assistance and authorities later reviewed their immigration status.

The family insists that their documents were valid and points to the political asylum process as part of their immigration situation in the United States.

County authorities, on the other hand, maintain that both women’s visas had expired several years before this episode.

As this discrepancy persists, Giuliana Carriel Calero and Grace Stephanie Calero remain in custody without facing criminal charges.