Marine Veteran Fights to Reunite Family After ICE Detains His Breastfeeding Wife
Every time 2-year-old Noah looks up at his father and asks about his mother, Adrian Clouatre must offer a hopeful lie. “Mommy will be back soon,” he tells his son, forcing a smile even as he sees the sorrow behind Noah’s eyes. It’s a routine that has become heartbreakingly familiar since Adrian’s wife, Paola, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in May. She had been breastfeeding their 3-month-old daughter, Lyn, when agents arrested her without warning.
Adrian, 26, is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who qualifies as service-disabled. His world was turned upside down on May 27, the day Paola went in for what was supposed to be a routine immigration status hearing. The couple believed they were on the right path to securing her green card. Instead, the hearing ended in detention, heartbreak, and a desperate legal battle to reunite their young family.
From Shelters to Starting a Family
She didn’t speak English and had no understanding of the legal complexities that awaited her. Her mother applied for asylum, but their relationship quickly deteriorated. Paola soon found herself alone and spent her teenage years in homeless shelters.
Her life took a turn in 2022 when she met Adrian at a club in Palm Springs, California. Their bond grew quickly, and within a month, they began dating. They welcomed their first child, Noah, and got married in February 2024. By then, their second child, Lyn, had been born.
A Missed Notice and a Life-Altering Mistake
The family believed they were following the legal process correctly. But just one week before the scheduled status hearing, they discovered a problem: an old deportation order had been issued against Paola. The order dated back to 2018, triggered by her failure to attend an immigration hearing. Unbeknownst to her, the notice had been mailed to her estranged mother, who never passed it on.
Despite the troubling news, Adrian and Paola chose to be transparent at their immigration interview. “The interviewer seemed to accept that. They said we passed and told us to wait for further paperwork.”
As they sat in the waiting room, thinking they were moving one step closer to stability, their hopes were dashed. Three ICE agents entered and arrested Paola. Adrian, stunned and helpless, watched as his wife was taken away. The children were with his parents, and the family had planned to spend the day together in New Orleans. Instead, Adrian was left alone to pick up the pieces.
ICE’s Response and a Nation’s Debate
When contacted about the case, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin confirmed that Paola had a final removal order issued in 2018. She emphasized that under President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, enforcement of immigration laws will remain strict.
But Adrian sees the policy as a blanket punishment that fails to recognize individual circumstances. “They said they’d focus on criminals,” he said. “My wife isn’t a criminal. She was brought here as a teenager, abandoned, and she’s built a life here. Should she really be punished for that?”
Fighting for a Family
Since Paola’s detention, Adrian’s life has become a balancing act. He works at a restaurant while caring for their two children and driving four hours round-trip twice a week to the ICE detention center in Monroe, Louisiana, where Paola is held. He fought persistently to get the facility to allow Paola to use a breast pump, even if the milk must be discarded. Whenever possible, he brings baby Lyn to visit her mother, so she can breastfeed and maintain her supply.
“I must have been the most annoying husband,” Adrian said, “but I did it. She’s able to pump now, and I try to make sure the baby can nurse as often as possible.”
The resilience he developed during his service, he says, is helping him navigate this nightmare. “I’m used to being in hard situations. But this is different—this is my family.”
A Mother’s Struggle Behind Bars
Inside the Richwood Correctional Center, Paola is trying to hold on. She shares a room with over a hundred detainees, and sleep is hard to come by. The constant noise and harsh conditions are wearing her down. She’s begun seeing a therapist to help manage her mental health, but the toll is visible.
A Legal Battle in Motion
Carey Holliday, the family’s attorney and a former immigration judge, has filed a motion requesting that the original deportation case be reopened. Holliday argues that Paola never received the hearing notice and should not be penalized for something she wasn’t aware of. If the motion succeeds, the deportation order could be lifted, allowing Paola to continue the green card process.
“The goal,” Holliday said, “is to have the judge reopen the case due to improper notice and then either administratively close it or get it dismissed so she can proceed with adjusting her status.”
A Plea from a Marine Veteran
Amid the legal filings and family chaos, Adrian also took a bold step—he wrote a letter directly to President Trump, pleading for compassion.
Holding On to Hope
As the days stretch on, Adrian continues to hope—for a legal breakthrough, for a policy shift, for a moment of humanity in a system that feels increasingly harsh. For now, he holds his children close, answers their questions with gentle half-truths, and waits.
“Mommy will be back soon,” he tells Noah.
And every time he says it, he prays it will be true.