On January 14, Laura, an immigrant from Honduras with an application for asylum, became a mom. Her boyfriend, driven by her doula, joined Laura at the hospital after she gave birth, where for at least one day, the three of them could be together. She rested while he met his new daughter, a healthy 7-pound girl.

It felt simple: “He was very happy,” Laura said.

Laura, whose last name has been withheld because she fears being targeted by immigration authorities, would have loved to see other friends and family.

But from the hospital bed, she worried about the consequences they could face — if coming to meet the baby might mean risking detention, or even deportation. She had no other visitors.

Leaving the hospital as a first-time mom can feel like liberation, escaping the solitude of a hospital room and venturing into the world. But Laura traded one form of isolation for another: her one-bedroom apartment, where visitors were rare.

“I was all alone with the baby, and no one could come see me because of immigration,” Laura said.

That fear has infected Laura’s whole community — isolating her from many of the people who, in a different time, might have helped the 24-year-old adjust to her new life as a mom.

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✍️: Shefali Luthra, reproductive health reporter
📸: Emily Scherer for The 19th; Getty Images