Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested an Ecuadorian mother and daughter at a hospital in central Florida following a car crash, despite the women having no criminal history.
Grace Stephanie Calero Cabanilla, 39, and her daughter, Giulianna Mía Carriel Calero, 19, were involved in a car crash in Poinciana, Florida, on 20 August, according to arrest reports reviewed by multiple news outlets.
Crash and Hospital Arrest
Jonathan Bravo, Calero Cabanilla’s cousin, told Newsweek that she was driving to work with her daughter when another vehicle struck the passenger side of their car, causing it to flip over four times. Bravo said the pair “almost died” in the crash.
Pictures of the crash posted by Bravo on a fundraiser showed a black SUV with damage to both the front and rear.
After the two women were transported by ambulance to HCA Florida Poinciana hospital, they were placed in separate rooms, Bravo told Newsweek. He said a Polk county sheriff’s deputy then began asking Calero Cabanilla about her immigration status.
Video Shows Emotional Scene
Video posted online by Gia Calero, Calero Cabanilla’s sister, and published by CNN showed the two women embracing in tears on a hospital bed as law enforcement officers attempted to separate them. The video also showed officers with Calero Cabanilla’s hands behind her back as she cried out while they escorted her from the hospital room. A person who appeared to be filming the video could be heard asking: “Where’s the paper? Where’s the arrest warrant?”
In a statement to Newsweek, a Polk county sheriff’s office spokesperson said: “As part of a crash investigation on Thursday, deputies went to the local hospital to speak with the occupants of one of the vehicles … As the deputies were obtaining information from those involved, it was discovered that the driver is in the United States illegally from Ecuador after overstaying an expired visa by several years.”
The sheriff’s office added that it determined Calero had also overstayed her visa, saying: “ICE issued detainers for both women, and after the women were discharged from the hospital, they were taken into custody and transported to the Polk County Jail.” An arrest warrant reviewed by Newsweek showed that neither woman had a criminal history.
Context and Criticism
The Guardian has reached out to the Polk county sheriff’s office and ICE for additional comment. In the fundraiser set up for the pair, Bravo said that Calero Cabanilla has a pending asylum case and a work permit, while her daughter has a visa that is valid until 2030. The Guardian has contacted Bravo for additional comment.
The arrests come amid a series of recent ICE arrests that have sparked widespread criticism across the country. Those arrested include the father of a USS Lincoln sailor, who was taken into ICE detention while his son was deployed in the Middle East, though since released, as well as several higher education instructors and researchers in recent weeks.
The arrests have drawn particular criticism in light of the Trump administration’s repeated pledge to focus on targeting the “worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens” for arrest and deportation. A Guardian analysis published in February found that 77% of people placed into deportation proceedings for the first time after Trump returned to the White House in 2025 had no criminal convictions.
