In a heartbreaking case that exposes the jagged edge of US immigration policy, a 21-year-old woman, eight months pregnant and writhing in pain, has been deported to Colombia. Her crime? Seeking safety.

Zharick Daniela Buitrago Ortiz was put on a plane by ICE agents in Atlanta, even as a federal judge was signing a restraining order to stop the flight. By the time the ink was dry on Judge Sarah Geraghty’s order, Zharick was already in the air, flying back to the country where her father was murdered for exposing corruption.

"Shooting Pains and No Mercy"

Attorney Anthony Enriquez of the Kennedy Human Rights Center detailed the harrowing ordeal. "She was experiencing shooting pains in her abdomen and back. She was vomiting. She begged for a doctor," he revealed. Instead of a hospital, she got a one-way ticket.

• The Legal defying: The deportation defied a court order meant to protect her health. ICE’s rush to remove her suggests a policy that prioritizes numbers over human life.
• The Context: Zharick’s father was a whistleblower. His death forced the family to flee. Now, his daughter returns to the same danger, carrying his grandchild, with no protection.

This incident is a stark reminder to Kenyans and Africans in the diaspora: the "Land of the Free" can be incredibly cruel to the vulnerable. As Zharick lands in Bogota, sick and terrified, the moral standing of the US immigration system takes yet another nosedive.