MAPLEWOOD, Mo. (First Alert 4) - A Maplewood family is separated after ICE agents detained the husband during a routine check-in appointment last week.Alba Matamoro and her husband, Boanerges Flores, came to Missouri three years ago from Nicaragua. The couple has been seeking asylum.Last week, the couple went to their routine check-in appointment with ICE. Agents detained Flores and released Matamoro with an ankle monitor.“It’s been very difficult, especially for my daughter, because she’s used to her father putting her to bed and saying goodnight to her,” Matamoro said.Matamoro said her husband worked for the Nicaraguan government and that it’s not safe to go back. She said they’ve attended every appointment to be granted asylum.Flores is now in the process of being deported.“We were told we had to leave the country because we didn’t have a court date,” Matamoro said. “It was a complete surprise because we always look at the news and saw that the president was going to take criminals out of the country.”The couple works in the Maplewood-Richmond Heights school district at the school their 8-year-old daughter attends. District staff described them as model employees.Missouri court records also show no traces of a criminal history for the couple. Matamoro is already shipping boxes to family in Nicaragua. She said the impending move hasn’t been easy to explain to their daughter.“She’s told me that she doesn’t want to leave and she wants to stay here studying in school with her friends,” Matamoro said.“My message is to people like us—that you think twice before going to your appointment,” she said.On Friday morning, State Rep. Ray Reed released the following statement: “What happened to the Flores-Bravo family is cruel, unnecessary, and deeply disturbing to our community.This family did what our immigration system asks of people seeking safety. They surrendered at the border, complied with immigration proceedings, attended their required check-ins, secured work authorization, and became contributing members of our community. Mr. Flores-Bravo and Ms. Matamoro-Hernandez worked serving students and families in the Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District while awaiting decisions on their asylum applications.By every public account, they followed the rules.Yet today, a husband has been separated from his family and a school community has been shaken apart because of an immigration enforcement system that increasingly punishes people attempting to comply with the law instead of focusing resources on genuine threats to publicsafety.Our immigrant neighbors are not political props. They are workers, parents, classmates, faith leaders, and valued members of our communities. They deserve dignity and compassion. Not fear, instability, and family separation.The Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District confirmed that Mr. Flores-Bravo met all federal and state employment eligibility requirements. The fact that someone can do everything they are instructed to do by the system and still face detention sends a chilling message to immigrant families across Missouri.I am calling for the immediate release of Boanerges Flores-Bravo and for this family to be allowed to continue pursuing their asylum case together and safely.At a time when too many continue to exploit immigration for division and fear, we should be choosing humanity, stability, and common sense. Our community is stronger because of immigrant families, not despite them.”Friday afternoon, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released the following statement: “Boanerges Antonio Flores-Bravo, 52, an illegal alien from Nicaragua, unlawfully entered the United States in 2022. ICE St. Louis arrested him May 18, 2026, for being unlawfully present in the United States. He remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings and will receive full due process under federal law.Alba Del Socorro Matamoro-Hernandez, 50, an illegal alien from Nicaragua, unlawfully entered the United States in 2022. ICE selected her for the Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program, which allows aliens to remain in their communities during immigration proceedings. The program exists to ensure compliance with release conditions and provide important case management services for non-detained aliens.Generally speaking, the mere application for an immigration benefit does not confer legal status to remain in the United States. Illegal aliens receive full due process on the merits of their case before an immigration judge with the Justice Department’s Executive Office of Immigration Review.Being in detention is a choice. We encourage all individuals without lawful status to take control of their departure with the CBP Home app. The United States is offering $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to return to the U.S. the right legal way to pursue the American dream. If not, enforcement actions will result in arrest and deportation without eligibility to return."The next appointment for the couple’s asylum case is slated for next month.A GoFundMe has been set up for the family. Copyright 2026 KMOV. All rights reserved.