A Lewiston mother arrested Jan. 20 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents remains in custody in a Massachusetts federal detention facility, her former partner said Wednesday.

Elmara Sofia Timoteo Alves Correia, 28, of Lewiston was arrested by ICE agents and featured in the agency’s Jan. 21 news release announcing “Operation Catch of the Day,” which the agency said was aimed at detaining the “worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens.”

The most serious charge against her is a misdemeanor child endangerment offense related to an incident last May in which the child’s father says their 4-year-old left the house for several hours to join other children playing soccer outside.

Manuel Vemba, Correia’s former partner, said she is a dedicated mother and member of the community.

“Elmara sacrificed her life for our son,” Vemba said. “She lost jobs, had to postpone a career, postpone school to prioritize our child. She was able to set aside everything to focus on this little boy.”

Correia is a “soccer mom,” Vemba said, who supports her almost-5-year-old son as he plays for the Maine Legends Academy in Lewiston. He said Correia cares about the people around her and is active not just with the soccer program but in the wider community. She is known for her hard work, volunteerism and kindness, he said.

Vemba said he has custody of their son, who often cries for his mother. 

“He keeps saying her name, ‘Mommy, mommy,’” Vemba said. “I’m doing everything I can to make sure he’s safe, that he still continues to go to school.”

In the ICE news release, Correia was listed alongside three other detainees and was described as being “previously arrested for endangering the welfare of a child,” the news release stated.

“Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, we are no longer allowing criminal illegal aliens to terrorize American citizens,” the release said.

According to the Associated Press, Correia’s attorney said the Angolan woman entered the United States legally on a student visa nearly eight years ago and that she has never been subject to expedited removal proceedings. Her attorney challenged her detention in a petition filed Jan. 21 and a judge issued a temporary emergency order barring her transfer from the Massachusetts facility where she’s being held.    

On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun ordered immigration officials to provide Correia a bond hearing within 10 days based on the same legal reasoning applied to a Dominican Republic national detained in New Hampshire in 2025.

The earlier case raised the same legal question about which federal statute governed the detention, and Joun ruled that the individual was subject to discretionary detention framework, making them eligible for a bond hearing. Joun, a Biden-appointed judge, presided over both cases.

At issue in both cases is a disagreement over the classification of immigrants being detained. Civil rights advocates argue, and several judges have agreed, that the Department of Homeland Security has been misclassifying immigrants and arresting them under laws that do not apply to them.

The federal government has increased its immigration arrests by using a law that has historically been reserved for immigrants who recently arrived in the country. That law allows the government to hold them without giving them a bond hearing.

Federal judges in Maine have issued rulings in similar cases siding with immigrants who argued they were detained and denied bond under the wrong law. In those cases, the detained immigrants said they had been living in the country continuously for more than two years.

A Sun Journal request for comment to Correia’s attorney went unanswered and additional details of her case were not immediately available.

A criminal history check shows Correia was summonsed in May 2025 by Lewiston police on a charge of endangering the welfare of a child, a Class D, misdemeanor-level offense. The endangerment case is still open and no court date is scheduled. 

District court records show she also had a civil charge against her alleging damage to a building; a $100 settlement was reached several weeks ago. In 2023, Correia was also charged with a driving infraction for violating provisions of a learner’s permit. The case was dismissed.

The child endangerment charge comes from an incident on the morning of May 18, 2025. According to a police report, Correia lost track of her 4-year-old son for several hours until a neighbor called police with concerns. Officers discovered the child had been out of the home for over five hours and later summonsed Correia.

A summons is a written order that requires a person to appear in court to answer an alleged charge. They are typically issued for less serious offenses in lieu of an arrest, when police believe the person will comply with the order and is not a threat to the public.

Vemba said the incident was a lapse that could happen to any other mother, rather than a case of neglect. Their son, who could see other children playing outside, was able to open the front door and join them, he said.

“It’s a normal child’s willingness to go out, especially if they see their friends playing soccer,” Vemba said. “I had a conversation with some neighbors who said there was a different group of kids playing there and he wasn’t by himself.”

According to a fundraiser appeal set up for Correia’s legal fees, “She has been an integral part of the Lewiston community, a soccer mom who cheers on her son with pride during games, a volunteer who gives tirelessly to local causes, making sure that no matter how busy life gets, there are always smiles to be shared in her town. But now, she finds herself at the mercy of ICE and facing an uncertain future.”

Many people in the community want to step to Correia’s defense and share their experience with her as a friend, mother and neighbor, but are afraid of repercussions with ICE, Vemba said. He said he chose to speak out because Correia is the mother of his child. 

“And she’s somebody,” Vemba said. “She always has been.”