FLOWER MOUND, Texas - A traffic stop in Flower Mound led to a North Texas woman's detainment by ICE, and her family is fighting to find an attorney to appeal a judge's removal order.
Lourdes Coronado
What we know:
The family of Lourdes Coronado, a North Texas resident, says she pulled over on May 8 in Flower Mound for driving with a suspended license and no registration.
After she was arrested, ICE was contacted, and Coronado was detained by the agency.
Coronado's family says she has been moved from Denton County to Dallas to an immigration detention facility in Oklahoma.
An immigration judge denied Coronado's bond request in July, classifying her as a flight risk. On September 8, an immigration judge ordered Coronado removed from the United States to Mexico.
What they're saying:
Karen Gonzalez, Coronado's daughter, says she missed a call from her mother on the night she was arrested. Now, she hasn't seen her in five months.
"I'm just like maybe I could have prevented it. Maybe if I was talking to her, maybe she would have taken another route or something."
Gonzalez says Coronado has lived in the United States for more than 30 years, and had just gotten approved for a work permit when she was detained.
Karen Gonzalez
"She had no criminal history. She wasn't doing anything wrong," Gonzalez said. "So it was what we thought would be a simple case."
Gonzalez says her brother was deported in 2019, and Coronado is the only immediate family she has left in the United States.
"We all bleed the same. We breathe the same air, you know. She has morals just as anybody else. She is a walking human being. She is not just a number. She is not just an immigrant."
ICE statement on Coronado's arrest
The other side:
ICE released the following statement to FOX 4 on Coronado's detainment:
"ICE arrested Lourdes Minerva Coronado, an illegal alien from Mexico, on May 8 following her arrest by the Flower Mound Police Department for a Class C traffic offense.
At an unknown time and location, Coronado illegally entered the United States. She has no lawful status to be present or remain in the United States and is being held in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings.
An immigration judge denied her bond request July 2. On Sept. 8, an immigration judge ordered Coronado removed to Mexico. She has reserved the right to appeal. ICE does not remove individuals while a timely appeal or other legal impediment to removal remains pending."
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 8: A U.S. Customs and Border Protection patch is displayed at the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Customs and Border Protection headquarters on August 8, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
What's next:
Coronado has until October 2 to appeal the immigration judge's order of removal. Gonzalez says she's working towards finding and paying an attorney by then.
The Source: Information in this story comes from an interview with Lourdes Coronado's family and ICE.