Senator Dick Durbin said he is working with her family to try to get her back into the United States and to help other Dreamers.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The case of a Sacramento mother who was deported to Mexico after attending a green card appointment is drawing national attention.
During congressional testimony Thursday, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin referenced the case of Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez while questioning Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Estrada Juarez was deported last month after showing up for her green card appointment in Sacramento.
Durbin held a virtual press conference Thursday that featured Estrada Juarez. He said he is working with her family to try to get her back into the United States and to help other Dreamers.
“In face of this administration’s actions, it is more important than ever for Congress to protect young people who know no other home than the United States and we have to continue our critical work to find a pathway to citizenship for these young people,” Durbin said. “Only Congress can give Dreamers the stability they crave and deserve. The time to pass the DREAM Act is long overdue.”
Estrada Juarez also spoke about her arrest during the news conference.
“Nearly, three years of my life were taken away from me, my home, my work, my community. The place where my memories and my future were, were suddenly gone. But the greatest pain is not losing a place, the greatest pain is losing time with my daughter,” Estrada Juarez said.
Durbin and immigration advocates also said recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA, have legal protections against detention and deportation. They argued that any attempt to remove those protections would be unlawful.
Mother deported during green card interview in Sacramento
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