Federal immigration authorities have lodged a detainer against a Cuban national in Florida following her arrest on multiple felony charges, including arson and child abuse.
Meliza Campos-Sanchez was taken into custody after Miami-Dade law enforcement responded on Sunday, Aug. 16, to reports of an intentional kitchen fire at a Miami home.
Deputies located Campos-Sanchez at the scene and transported her to a local medical facility for a mental health evaluation before booking her into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Investigators recovered two videos from Campos-Sanchez’s Instagram account. One video allegedly depicted her pouring melted wax onto herself and onto the hands of one of her two daughters. A second video showed her singing and dancing in the kitchen before using a lighter to set items of clothing on fire.
Campos-Sanchez has been charged with two counts of child neglect, cruelty toward a child, child abuse, and arson.
Records show that Campos-Sanchez entered the United States without legal authorization through Florida in May 2022. The day after her arrest, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) submitted an immigration detainer requesting that local correctional officials retain custody of her.
In a public release, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security addressed the arrest and detainer request:
“This Cuban illegal alien is charged with child abuse and arson after she poured hot wax onto one of her own children and then lit a fire in her home,” the DHS spokesperson said. “If it weren’t for the Biden Administration’s reckless open-border policies, criminals like this woman would have never been able to enter our country. ICE has lodged a detainer asking Miami officials to not release this criminal from jail. We will work with our partners in Florida to make sure she is removed from our country after she faces justice.”
Campos-Sanchez remains in custody as the case proceeds through the Miami-Dade County court system.
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