Maryland Adoptee Deported to Brazil Decades After Arrival

(BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES) Maria Pires, adopted from a São Paulo orphanage and raised in Maryland, was detained at a routine ICE check-in in Baltimore on March 6, 2025, and deported back to Brazil on June 6, 2025 under the Trump-Vance administration’s stepped-up enforcement priorities. Federal officials say she was an “enforcement priority” because of past criminal convictions. Her lawyers say she lived in the United States for decades, followed supervision rules, and believed her adoptive placement would protect her from removal.

The case has renewed attention on internationally adopted children whose citizenship paperwork was never completed, leaving them exposed to deportation later in life.

Timeline and enforcement actions

• Pires, now 47, had checked in with ICE for years while working legally.
• In 2025, the administration moved to increase removals to as many as 1 million annually and directed officers to prioritize people with criminal records, including those brought to the country as children.
• Officials transferred Pires among detention centers and scheduled her on a low-profile flight, confirming after arrival that she would not be allowed back because of her record and enforcement status.
• As of September, Pires lives in a women’s shelter in eastern Brazil, relearning Portuguese, applying for local documents, and seeking work.

“She’s applying for jobs and language classes but faces barriers due to limited identification and no long-term housing,” advocates say.

Her attorney filed a citizenship application after deportation, but federal officials said she is ineligible and that she remains a priority for removal.

Policy context and adoption paperwork gaps

The administration’s approach emphasizes public-safety criteria tied to criminal histories. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the removal, with Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin saying, “Criminals are not welcome in the U.S.” ICE procedures now allow immediate detention at check-ins for long-term residents with old convictions, even if they previously held work permits.

Friends and former foster parents describe the new practice as abrupt and unforgiving, especially for adoptees who had no role in their childhood paperwork.

Key points about adoption paperwork and responsibility:
– Maryland’s Department of Human Services says adoptive parents must apply for citizenship for foreign-born adoptees.
– Without those filings, adoptees can be placed in removal proceedings if they later face criminal charges.
– In Pires’ case, neither her adoptive father nor state social services completed the process.

Case background relevant to legal status:
– Her adoptive parent, Floyd Sykes III, later sexually abused and tortured her, according to case records.
– After his arrest in 1992, she entered foster care, where unresolved trauma led to violent behavior and a criminal record.
– Officials discovered she lacked U.S. citizenship during incarceration. Because she had also lost Brazilian citizenship at the time of adoption, she became effectively stateless for years.
– For a long period the government allowed her to remain in Maryland under supervision with a work permit. Under current rules, though, her record blocks naturalization and set the path for removal in 2025.

Legal advocates argue these outcomes punish people for paperwork failures beyond their control, while federal officials say immigration law requires removal when noncitizens have disqualifying convictions.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, situations like Pires’ expose a long-running citizenship gap for internationally adopted children—especially when adoption records are incomplete or guardians fail to file required applications.

Human impact in Brazil and across U.S. adoptee communities

The practical consequences for deportees after decades in the U.S. are severe:
– They often land in countries they barely remember.
– They face difficulty obtaining identification and work authorization.
– Language barriers and loss of social networks make daily life and employment searches difficult.
– Access to housing, jobs, and mental health care is limited.

Specifics about Pires’ situation:
– She is relearning Portuguese and searching for connections to her birth family.
– She hopes to find steady work once documents are issued.
– Friends and community members describe her as resilient and caring, and they worry about her safety and stability far from her support network.

Broader implications for adoptees:
– Adoptees who never obtained citizenship as children can grow up culturally American but lack the paperwork to prove it.
– If they later enter the criminal justice system, even years after abuse or foster care placements, they can be marked for deportation.
– Advocates press Congress to grant automatic citizenship to qualifying adoptees and to shield those brought to the U.S. as children. Legislative proposals remain stalled.

Some advocacy groups have launched public campaigns challenging broad removal drives, using phrases like “illegal deportation policy” to question due process. Federal officials reject those claims and point to statutory authority for removals of noncitizens with certain convictions.

Legal and advocacy response

Pires’ attorney’s position:
– She followed every rule after release from prison: regular check-ins, steady work, and compliance with supervision.
– He argues the government failed her twice: first when adoptive and child welfare systems did not secure her citizenship, and again when enforcement policies ignored her history of abuse and missed paperwork.
– He and other lawyers call for targeted reforms to prevent adoptees from being deported to countries where they have no family or practical way to restart their lives.

DHS officials’ position:
– The agency says its job is to enforce the law as written and directed by executive policy.
– The administration reiterates that public safety is the top priority, resulting in people like Pires—noncitizens with criminal histories—being prioritized for removal flights.

Practical advice and community actions:
– Families with internationally adopted children are seeking legal reviews of old files to confirm what was filed and when.
– Attorneys advise families to:
1. Act early.
2. Keep complete adoption files.
3. Seek legal advice before any contact with law enforcement.
– Community groups are organizing:
– Document drives
– Language classes
– Small grants to help deportees in Brazil with essentials like food, bus fare, and phone access

For background on how adoption and citizenship work under current federal rules, readers can review USCIS adoption guidance: https://www.uscis.gov/adoption. The page explains how citizenship is secured for children adopted from abroad and lists evidence families should keep on file. It also includes links to policy resources that help lawyers and caseworkers assess status questions before problems arise.

Current status and next steps

• Pires continues to apply for Brazilian identification and work authorization.
• Friends say she hopes to find stable housing and a job that uses her bilingual skills once documents are issued.
• Federal officials say there is no current pathway for her return given her record and priority status.
• Advocacy groups plan to keep pressing lawmakers to protect adoptees and resolve cases affected by past paperwork failures.

The people closest to Pires worry about what comes next, knowing the place she once called home is now beyond reach.