An undocumented Guatemalan teenager who abandoned her newborn baby in a Houston dumpster said she avoided seeking medical care because she was afraid of being deported, according to an exclusive interview with the Washington Post.
The incident is part of a larger, troubling trend in Texas, where local officials have described infant abandonment cases as a “epidemic” despite safe haven laws designed to prevent such tragedies.
In July, authorities discovered a newborn boy in a dumpster near a Houston apartment complex. His mother, Everilda Cux-Ajtzalam, was caught on security footage giving birth behind a taco truck, handling the baby with trash bags, and dumping him in a dumpster.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Cux-Ajtzalam claimed she was raped by a relative in Houston and was unaware of her pregnancy until it was late.
The teenager stated that she did not consider going to a clinic because she had heard about Texas officials deporting undocumented immigrants.
Cux-Ajtzalam was also reportedly unaware of Texas’ safe haven law, which allows parents to leave their newborns in designated locations without risk of prosecution.
The migrant mother is now facing felony child abandonment charges, which could result in up to 20 years in prison and deportation. Her baby, named Gabriel by his rescuers, was placed with local foster parents soon after the incident.
According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, at least 18 infants were abandoned in Texas in 2024, up from seven ten years ago. The most recent incident happened shortly before Christmas at a Whataburger in San Antonio.
First responders discovered a woman attempting to flush her newborn child down the toilet. The baby died shortly thereafter.
Law enforcement officials identify desperation as a common thread, citing recent cases such as a homeless mother who abandoned her baby in a clothing donation bin and another woman who, after fainting during childbirth, placed her deceased infant in a garbage truck.
Texas has one of the country’s strictest abortion bans, with no exceptions for rape or incest. The state frequently ranks near the bottom for women’s health and reproductive care, with the highest percentage of uninsured women in the country.
While Texas lawmakers allocated $165 million to anti-abortion initiatives, they did not commit any funds to publicize the safe haven law.
Human rights advocates also point to Gov. Greg Abbott’s order requiring hospitals to track the costs of treating undocumented immigrants, claiming it discourages vulnerable people from seeking care.
