High-achieving junior had her life disrupted by ICE
In a shocking turn of events, 17-year-old Nory Sontay Ramos, a high school honor roll student and track athlete, was deported to Guatemala on July 4, 2025. Sontay and her mother, Estela Ramos, were detained by immigration officials during a standard check-in visit on June 30.
Sontay, who left Guatemala at the age of six due to fear of gang violence, continues to feel blindsided about why she and her mother were deported. "I can't believe it happened so quickly," she said, expressing her astonishment at the swift turn of events.
The Trump administration's One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed in July 2025, has been criticized for severely undermining due process rights for undocumented immigrants targeted for deportation. The legislation expanded immigration detention, providing $45 billion through 2029 to detain immigrant adults and families. This includes funding for family detention with provisions allowing indefinite detention of children and families, violating established protections such as the Flores Settlement Agreement.
The OBBBA also ended bond hearings for detained undocumented immigrants, effectively removing their opportunity to challenge detention appropriateness before a judge. This means detainees have no judicial review of their detention status during often lengthy removal proceedings, placing ICE in the position of both jailer and judge without due process.
The administration's tough immigration policies have been met with mixed reactions. A PBS News/NPR/Marist poll released in July found that 43 percent of Americans support President Trump's immigration tactics, while a Quinnipiac University national poll released in late June showed that 64 percent of registered voters support giving most undocumented immigrants in the United States a pathway to legal status.
Manuel Guevara, a physical education teacher and coach at the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, fears that more deportations of youth from his school are imminent. He recalled Nory's high-pitched voice that gets even higher when she's excited, and believes that she has the aptitude for greatness.
Nory and her mother have been weeping off and on since their arrival in Guatemala. They are unsure about what will become of the friends, family members, and school community they left behind in Los Angeles due to their deportation. Sontay has expressed gratitude for the support received through her GoFundMe campaign, but if she can't return to the United States, she will figure out how to finish her education in Guatemala.
The Trump administration's immigration policies have raised concerns about due process and the rights of undocumented immigrants. A lawyer hired after Nory and her mother were detained has filed a motion to reopen their case with the Board of Immigration Appeals, challenging the swift and seemingly arbitrary deportation of a promising young student.
[1] "Trump's immigration bill would gut due process for detained immigrants," The Hill, July 1, 2025. [2] "Trump's immigration bill could lead to indefinite detention of children," The Washington Post, July 2, 2025.
- The Trump administration's One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) has been criticized for severely undermining not only due process rights for undocumented immigrants targeted for deportation, but also education and self-development, as demonstrated by the case of 17-year-old Nory Sontay Ramos, who was abruptly deported, leaving her to figure out how to complete her education in Guatemala.
- The consequences of the Trump administration's harsh immigration policies extend beyond politics and general news, affecting various aspects of life, including education and self-development, as evidenced by the situation of Nory Sontay Ramos, a high school honor roll student and track athlete, who was deported to Guatemala despite her bright future in the United States.
