Venezuelan Family Says They Lost Their Home And Jobs After Two Months In Detention

Venezuelan Family Says They Lost Their Home And Jobs After Two Months In Detention

Adriana Laya and Miguel Alberto Caicedo believed their nightmare was finally over when they were released from a family detention center in Dilley, Texas, along with their two children.

But when they returned to their home in Las Cruces, New Mexico, after being detained for two months, they discovered another devastating reality waiting for them. According to the family, they had been evicted from their apartment during their detention, and their belongings — including their life savings and even their pet dog — were gone.

“We started crying,” Laya said. “My kids started crying over their pet, their clothes, their bed. We just held on to each other outside of the apartment.”

The family from Venezuela says they are now living in their car, the only possession they were able to recover. The vehicle had been left in a government parking lot outside the facility where they were detained.

The couple and their children, ages 11 and 5, entered the United States in 2024 and were released on parole while pursuing an asylum claim. They say they had started building a life in New Mexico. Caicedo worked as a delivery driver, Laya cleaned hotels, and their children were attending school.

However, everything changed in January when the family attended what they believed was a routine check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Instead of simply checking in, they were detained and transported to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley.

The detention facility has faced criticism from immigrant advocates in the past over allegations of poor living conditions and inadequate medical care.

Laya and Caicedo described the water at the facility as “awful” and said it was difficult to drink. They also claimed that the lights remained on throughout the night. According to Laya, medical staff ignored them when their oldest son, who has kidney problems, developed a fever.

“We got COVID twice,” she said. “I’m still coughing.”

The family also said they were repeatedly pressured by officers to sign voluntary departure papers, which would have meant agreeing to leave the United States.

“We said we weren’t going to sign,” Laya said. “One officer got very mad and said we had to sign the papers.”

After their release in mid-February, the family received a document stating that their parole authorization remains valid for one year unless it is extended or they leave the United States.

A civil court record from July 2025 shows that a landlord filed a case against Laya requesting restitution of the property, and the court ruled in favor of the landlord, ordering the property to be vacated.

Now, the couple says they are trying to rebuild their lives from nothing. They sleep in their car while their children sometimes stay with a family friend. Caicedo recently began working again after being approved to deliver with DoorDash.

“Thank God I got approved,” he said. “After we drop our kids off at school, we go to work. We have to start from zero and keep going for our kids.”