A Florida hospital visit following a rollover crash ended with an Ecuadorian mother and her 19-year-old daughter leaving in handcuffs after federal immigration detainers surfaced during the crash investigation.
Grace Stephanie Calero Cabanilla, 39, and Giulianna Mía Carriel Calero, 19, were involved in a two-vehicle crash Aug. 20 in Poinciana, Florida. The women were taken by ambulance to HCA Florida Poinciana Hospital.
What happened at the hospital has since spread across social media, including video showing the women embracing in a hospital room as Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies move to separate them. Calero Cabanilla is later seen being escorted away with her hands behind her back.
But despite some reports describing ICE agents arriving at the hospital to arrest the women, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office says its deputies were there investigating the crash, and neither woman was arrested as part of a state criminal investigation.
At The Hospital
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Deputies went to the hospital to speak with occupants of one of the vehicles involved in the crash, according to the sheriff’s office.
While gathering information, deputies determined Calero Cabanilla was from Ecuador and had overstayed her authorized stay in the United States, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies subsequently determined her daughter also had an immigration issue.
ICE gave Newsweek a more specific account of the women’s immigration histories.
According to ICE, Calero Cabanilla legally entered the United States on March 8, 2023, but remained beyond her authorized period of admission. The agency said Carriel Calero legally entered on Feb. 8, 2025, and also overstayed her authorized period.
ICE confirmed that it lodged immigration detainers for both women.
Arrest affidavits reviewed by Newsweek provide another piece of the sequence. According to the records, deputies identified an immigration hold and contacted an ICE officer, who confirmed civil immigration warrants. The records also said neither woman had a criminal history.
The sheriff’s office said the women were taken into custody after they were discharged from the hospital and transported to the Polk County Jail.
Video from inside the hospital shows two uniformed Polk County deputies involved in the detention. A third man is also visible, according to reporting by The Ledger.
Family’s Account
The women’s family disputes parts of the government’s description of their immigration status.
Jonathan Bravo, who organized a fundraiser for the women, says Calero Cabanilla has a pending asylum case and work authorization. He also says Carriel Calero has a visa document valid through 2030 and was included in her mother’s asylum case.
Those claims do not by themselves establish the women’s authorized periods of stay, which is what ICE says they exceeded.
Bravo told Newsweek that Calero Cabanilla had been driving to work with her daughter when another vehicle struck the passenger side of their vehicle. He said their vehicle rolled about four times and was totaled.
The family says Calero Cabanilla suffered neck and other injuries in the crash. The fundraiser also says Carriel Calero suffered a seizure during the events at the hospital.
The publicly available reporting does not independently establish that medical claim.
The video does show Carriel Calero wearing a hospital gown as deputies move to separate the women. Someone recording the encounter repeatedly asks officers for paperwork as the women are taken away.
What Deputies Say
The sheriff’s office has pushed back against accounts portraying the encounter as ICE agents entering the hospital and unexpectedly arresting two patients.
Spokesman Brian Bruchey told The Ledger that social media accounts of the incident were incorrect about multiple details.
According to Bruchey, deputies ran identification information while handling the crash investigation and received notification of an immigration detainer involving Calero Cabanilla. Deputies contacted ICE to confirm it, and ICE then determined that Carriel Calero was also in the country without authorization and placed a detainer on her, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office has not released the underlying crash report. It told Newsweek that Florida law exempts the report from public disclosure for the first 60 days after the crash.
That leaves some details of the collision unresolved, including whether the other driver received a citation or faced any other action.
HCA Florida Poinciana Hospital told Newsweek that it provides care regardless of immigration status and must also comply with laws governing interactions with verified law enforcement personnel inside the hospital.
The sheriff’s office said both women had been medically discharged before deputies transported them to jail.
ICE said the women will remain in immigration custody pending proceedings.