A disabled child’s mom reported him missing. He was in federal custody for 48 days.

When Emmanuel Gonzalez walked away from his mom’s fruit stand in October, Houston Police called ICE instead of reuniting them.

By Leslie Rangel, The Barbed Wire, for The 19th

Maria Garcia couldn’t bear to attend the nightly meals near Triangle Lake, where for several weeks, the smell of pinto beans, turkey necks, and other soul food staples filled the air outside a federal children’s detention facility in southeast Houston.

The Southern home-cooked meals had become a supportive ritual, one that Garcia appreciated but was too difficult for her to take part in. Garcia’s son, who has an intellectual disability, remained locked inside for 48 days. Other mothers of children with neurological and development disorders stepped in.

“We need to be there every night. Because while the world scro