The Daily – “Family Separation 2.0: An Update”

Date: December 30, 2025
Host: Michael Barbaro
Reported by: Jessica Chung

Overview

This episode of The Daily revisits the harrowing story of Ayla Gomez and her father Fabricio, an undocumented immigrant from Brazil who, after years in the US with no criminal record, was detained and deported amid the Trump administration's intensified immigration crackdown. Through Jessica Chung’s reporting and intimate interviews with Ayla, the episode explores the personal fallout of family separation policies, the complexity of undocumented life in America, and the enduring impact of forced displacement—both on those expelled and the family left behind.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Setting the Stage: Family Under Threat

• [01:07] Ayla, a college student in Massachusetts, recounts the day her father was detained by ICE:

  “It's like when you hear somebody, they're trying not to cry, but like they're really, like, holding it in…This is a hard working man, no criminal record, like you guys just took him.” — Ayla Gomez

• [02:51 – 04:25] Family history: Fabricio came from Brazil in 2001 to escape violence and build a better life. He built a successful construction company and always encouraged his children to pursue their passions.

• [05:04 – 05:38] Ayla recalls her deep connection to her father, sharing a love for building, and how it inspired her academic and professional choices.

Life Interrupted: Detainment and Shock

• [07:09] Fabricio had a pending visa application and for 12 years faithfully checked in with ICE. In February, he was detained at one such routine check-in.

• [07:58] The shock and trauma of unexpected, bureaucratic separation:

  “I felt like my heart just left my chest...my whole heart got ripped out of my chest because I never got to really say a proper goodbye.” — Ayla Gomez

Adapting to Forced Separation

• [10:14] Fabricio is moved to a correctional facility. Ayla describes her father’s resilience—leading a Bible study and cleaning in detention for extra privileges.

• [11:43] Ayla and Fabricio adapt through daily phone calls, striving to maintain a semblance of normalcy:

  “We open every conversation like he was here with us...Being said, ‘Hi, dad, how are you? I missed you.’” — Ayla Gomez

• [12:21] – [13:10] ICE orders Fabricio’s removal and transfers him to a far harsher detention center in Louisiana, previously investigated for abuse. Ayla notices her father’s optimistic facade begin to crack:

  “I don't want to say he's in full panic, but he's really feeling it.” — Ayla Gomez

The Impact of Deportation

• [13:25] – [13:54] Ayla's mounting anxiety and refusal to abandon her life and ambitions in the US:

  “My parents have worked way too damn hard, too many years of their damn life to come here. I will be continuing college and if anything, I will be continuing their success times that by 100.” — Ayla Gomez

Humanizing the Undocumented Experience

• [14:32] – [14:56] Ayla’s challenge to listeners who support mass deportation:

  “If you're okay with separating families because they're just simply immigrants, that's a battle you're dealing within yourself...try to picture one of their daughters sitting here and having to talk about one of their parents like this.” — Ayla Gomez

Dreams on Hold

• [15:43] The arrested dream of a family business and bright future:

  “As of right now, there's, like, no dream, no goal. It's just like, okay, well, my dream is to kind of just be able to push through this.” — Ayla Gomez

• [15:59 – 16:39] Ayla’s recurring hope and vision for reuniting with her father:

  “That's exactly how I see it. Just feels like it's going to happen. And it's all I think about. That's all I can envision, like, over and over again, every single day that I wake up...” — Ayla Gomez

The Aftermath: Reunification Abroad

• [17:14 – 17:44] Ayla never receives her dream call. Instead, her father is deported, and she travels alone to meet him in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

• [19:10 – 19:45] Ayla describes the surreal, bittersweet reunion at the airport:

  “I literally see him like standing in front of the door. I gave him a big hug. Like I missed him so much. It was so shocking. It's just like...I'm so happy to see him but I'm in shock. I'm like, what are we doing here? I guess this is it. Like this is how things are for now.” — Ayla Gomez

Displacement and Legacy

• [19:50 – 21:32] Ayla expresses profound dislocation, seeing her father with his extended family for the first time while feeling intensely out of place in Brazil:

  “I don't belong here...this is not where my dad's supposed to be. This is not where I'm supposed to be.” — Ayla Gomez

• [21:50] – [23:16] Despite derailed dreams, Ayla reaffirms her determination to honor her parents’ sacrifices by excelling in her studies and continuing the family legacy:

  “That actually made me a little bit more determined. Like it makes me work harder because he’s not here...I put my foot on the ground and say, well, I gotta make the best of it.” — Ayla Gomez

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On family separation and empathy:

  “If they're hearing my story specifically, I hope they hear that and that they try to picture one of their daughters sitting here and having to talk about one of their parents like this, because somebody out there is wishing that on somebody else, and I just really want them to picture that.” — Ayla Gomez [14:56]

• On hope despite adversity:

  “Just me getting that call of being told, go pick up your dad...he's standing outside, like, quite literally the same exact person. He left, like, in his work clothes, just the way he is, with his face, like, his regular face...” — Ayla Gomez [15:59]

• On adjusting to loss and honoring the past:

  “It's a little crazy to say, but that actually made me a little bit more determined. Like, it makes me work harder because he's not here.” — Ayla Gomez [21:50]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:07] – Ayla recounts the moment her father is detained
• [05:04] – Ayla’s bond with her father and dreams for the future
• [07:09] – Fabricio’s faithful ICE check-ins and unexpected detention
• [10:14] – Adjusting to detention, clinging to connection
• [12:21] – Transfer to harsher detention and Ayla’s growing anxiety
• [14:56] – Ayla challenges the listener to empathize with families like hers
• [15:59] – Ayla’s enduring hope for a reunion
• [17:14] – News of Fabricio’s deportation and Ayla’s journey to Brazil
• [19:10] – Reunion at the Belo Horizonte airport
• [21:50] – Ayla’s resolve to continue her father’s legacy

Conclusion

Family Separation 2.0: An Update personalizes the sweeping headlines of immigration enforcement, bringing listeners inside the emotional realities and aftermath of family separation. Through Ayla’s voice, the episode lays bare the long-term impact on American-raised children, the persistence of hope and determination, and the impossible choices forced upon families by deportation policies. This story is an intimate testament to love, resilience, and the struggle for belonging amidst the brute mechanisms of immigration enforcement.