A teenage Dreamer says her mother’s death could have been prevented, after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement allegedly took away her essential medicine during the chaos of their deportation. The teen, Nory Sontay Ramos, watched in horror as her mother, Estela, just 45 years old, fell ill and eventually died in Guatemala, after ICE deprived her of blood pressure medication.
Estela, Nory says, was overwhelmed by fear, stress, and uncertainty. Her daughter told MSNBC that Estela had “persistent headaches” from high blood pressure and was barely sleeping. She refused to leave the small apartment where they were staying, convinced gang members who had once threatened them were lurking outside.
An LA garment worker and her daughter were deported earlier this summer. Estela, the mother, was ill and passed away suddenly earlier this week. Nora, her daughter, is now parentless.
Please help support Nora in this incredibly difficult time.https://t.co/GgZVV3i7qk
— GarmentWorkerCenter (@GarmentWorkerLA) September 12, 2025
The separation happened fast and brutally. Nory and Estela, undocumented immigrants who fled violence in Guatemala, had lived in the U.S. for many years. Nory was on the honor roll and preparing for her senior year, deeply woven into her community in Los Angeles. But ICE detained them during a routine check-in, then swiftly deported them. Neither the teen nor her mother fit the agency’s stated target, criminals or gang members.
Once deported back to Guatemala, Estela said she didn’t feel well. Her family tried to take her to a doctor but she refused, too fearful to go out. Then came vomiting and collapse. With no medicine, no relief, Estela reportedly told her daughters, “I feel like I’m going to die.” They thought she simply fell asleep. Instead, Estela passed away. Local emergency responders couldn’t save her.
The death of Estela Ramos Baten
Nory Sontay Ramos, a 17-year-old honors student and track star with dreams of college; and her mother Estela were deported after a routine check-in.
Two months later, Estela; 48, was buried with Guatemalan and U.S. flags draped over her coffin… pic.twitter.com/rBo3261SKQ— AustinBlue (@MakeTexasBlue22) September 15, 2025
The death certificate lists liver cirrhosis as the cause of death. Experts note that cirrhosis can severely impact blood pressure, making it harder to treat without meds, something Estela didn’t have access to after her deportation. The family acknowledges Estela had a history of heavy drinking when younger, but say she had long stopped, and that she was stable, until that fateful turn.
Nory is devastated. “They took away my mother’s medicine, I had no way to help her,” she said, her words echoing grief and frustration. According to her, Estela’s medicines were taken while they were in ICE custody in Los Angeles. Later, the pair were transferred to Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas.
ICE told Soboroff that Estela “was given a medical evaluation and prescribed medications she needed.” But that version of events conflicts with what Nory and her family are saying, that the medication seizure in L.A. was never reversed.
The family and their supporters are pushing back, saying this case exposes just how fragile the system is for non-criminal immigrants under mass deportation policies. They say their voices are being ignored while policy decisions leave people like Estela dangerously vulnerable.
