Keyla Comes Home

by Thomas Breen, May 12, 2026, New Haven Independent

A Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) nursing student from Ecuador has returned home to Connecticut after spending more than a month in federal immigration detention, including, most recently, in southern Louisiana.

The statewide immigrant-advocacy group CT Students for a Dream announced that news in a Tuesday afternoon press release.

That press release states that Keyla Vasquez-Zuniga was granted a $15,000 bond and released from the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, La., on Saturday, May 9.

Her release came less than a week after an immigration judge granted Vasquez-Zuniga a $15,000 bond, and two days after CT Students for a Dream stepped up its fundraising to help secure her release, cover her legal costs, and help her travel back from Louisiana to Connecticut.

“I’m really thankful for all of the help and support I received from everyone. Your kindness, encouragement, and patience truly meant the world to me. I honestly couldn’t have gotten through everything without the people who stood by my side and believed in me even during this difficult period,” Vasquez-Zuniga is quoted as saying in Tuesday’s press release.

“Every message, and every little act of support made a bigger difference than you probably realize. I’ve learned so much from this experience, and I’ll always be grateful for the love and positivity I was surrounded by. Thank you for always being there for me, for lifting me up when I needed it most, and for reminding me that I’m never alone. I appreciate each and every one of you more than words can explain.”

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