Maryland valedictorian held in Louisiana after immigration check-in

Maria Flores Garcia was the top student in her class at Parkdale High School in Prince George's County, Maryland. That honor is currently on hold as she is detained in Louisiana.

Flores, a public health major at the University of Maryland, was taken into custody by immigration officials last week. She is being held out of state alongside her mother, who was also detained during the same encounter.

The detention occurred in Baltimore during a scheduled check-in. Flores' boyfriend, Cesar Saavedra, says the women did not fully grasp the situation while inside the building. He recalls that officials asked Flores if she wanted to stay with her mother or leave the premises.

"So she decided to stay with her mom, obviously, not knowing if they were going to interview her or anything, so she decided to stay with her mom in case of anything," Saavedra said. "Sadly, she was detained minutes after."

Flores arrived in the United States from El Salvador when she was nine years old. She has remained in the country and excelled academically. At her high school graduation in June, she addressed the class of 2026.

"It is an honor to stand before you as your valedictorian," Flores told her classmates. She spoke about the difficulty of learning English as a child. "At the age of 9, like many other children, I faced the challenge of starting over," she said. "I was the new girl, who struggled to understand words and had to wait for someone to translate even the simplest instructions."

Her academic performance earned her a full ride to the University of Maryland. She plans to become a doctor. In her closing remarks at the graduation, she told the students that "dreams don't have limits or borders."

Saavedra has started an online fundraiser to cover the cost of an immigration attorney for Flores and her mother. He says the pair is staying positive but hopes for a release rather than a return to El Salvador.

"Like, why would a valedictorian student, obviously going to college, doing everything right, and then gets detained with her mother? It's just like, that's totally not what should not be going on in this country at this moment," Saavedra said.

The detention happened days before President Donald Trump spoke to CBS' "60 Minutes" about immigration enforcement. Following recent midterm election losses, Trump was asked if his deportation policy went too far. "I think it was too tough," he said. "I think it might be too tough, yeah. And a lot of people would say that it's great, but a lot of people think it's too tough."

Saavedra showed Flores' diploma and a collection of awards she received since elementary school to reporters. He said Flores and others in similar situations are doing everything right. "And I know it's probably not just us, but a lot of other people that are going through the same thing, doing everything right in the country, and then they're the ones being detained, when obviously I don't think that's what should be happening right now," he said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement was contacted for more information. The agency has not yet responded.