On 2 February 2019, Vanessa Gómez Cueva and her 2-year-old baby were deported from Argentina, where she lived for over 15 years. She was forced to leave behind her two other children (aged 5 and 14), who have Argentinian nationality, and was since banned from re-entering the country to reunite with her children. The deportation order was based on a criminal conviction, for which Vanessa had served a sentence in 2014. She was not allowed to say goodbye.
After serving her sentence, Vanessa obtained a nursing qualification, and was working as a care-giver of the elderly at the time of her deportation, while being a single mother of three.
On 3 September 2019, during the 31st Session of the Committee on Migrant Workers, the Director of the Argentinian National Migrations Office announced the decision to lift Vanessa’s re-entry ban into Argentina based on “humanitarian reasons”. This decision is very significant as it allows for the restoration of the rights of her children, considering their best interests and guaranteeing their right to family unity.
After 7 months of being forcibly separated from her family, and thanks to the collective struggle of Vanessa’s lawyer, civil society organizations, and the support of the international community and activists who joined forces to demand her return, Vanessa and her baby can now come back to Argentina and reunite with their family.
Amnesty International will continue to monitor her situation to ensure the state guarantees Vanessa and her baby’s safe return to Argentina and that she can remain in the country on a regular migratory status.
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