Mom whose daughter lost her dad in Key Bridge collapse now faces deportation

A Maryland mother is facing the possibility of being deported and leaving behind her 7-year-old daughter, two years after the little girl’s father died in the collapse of Baltimore’s Key Bridge.

The threat of deportation for Zoila Guerra Sandoval comes after her attorney says she was encouraged to apply for immigration relief. Guerra Sandoval says she feels deceived. She says she did exactly what she was told after the tragedy, but now she is facing a possible removal process.

She remembers the last conversation she had with José Mynor López, her former partner and the father of her daughter. On March 26, 2024, he and five other workers died when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed.

Now, her daughter is what worries her the most.

“I’m all she has … because she had the hopes she had in her dad,” Guerra Sandoval said.

Her daughter is a U.S. citizen, she said.

The information she provided when applying for immigration relief ended up being used to start her deportation case, her attorney says

After the tragedy, federal officials invited family members to apply for temporary immigration protection, according to her attorney. But now, her request has been denied — and on top of that, she is facing deportation proceedings.

“When I got the paperwork, I felt tricked,” Guerra Sandoval said.

Her attorney highlighted that, according to the notice, the information Guerra Sandoval provided when applying for immigration relief ended up being used to start her deportation case. She is questioning why key humanitarian factors are not being taken into account.

“Here is a daughter — a little girl who lost her father,” Guerra Sandoval’s attorney said. “She has a mother here in the United States. Her mother has been living in this country for nearly 20 years — harming no one, contributing to her community, to her country … and she deserves the opportunity to live here safely, without the threat of deportation.”

U.S. Citizen & Immigration Services told us in a statement that immigration benefits are granted on a case-by-case basis and that it is the applicant’s responsibility to prove they qualify. Meanwhile, Maryland’s governor’s office said it is concerned and is reviewing options to ensure due process.

We reached out to ICE, but so far we are still waiting for a response.

Guerra Sandoval has an immigration hearing scheduled for July, and as her case moves forward, her attorney says they will keep fighting so she can remain in the country with her daughter.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by Telemundo 44. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and Telemundo 44 and NBC Washington journalists edited the article for publication.