Local leaders, lawmakers, and immigrant advocates rallied in downtown Sacramento, demanding the return of a Natomas woman they say was wrongfully deported after a scheduled green card appointment.Janet Gallegos, Maria’s niece, described her as an inspiring woman and said her aunt has been “Doing everything right, coming in for her appointments as a DACA recipient and petitioning for her green card on behalf of my cousin… she is a manager at her hotel who serves Sacramento residents. They have a contract with the city to shelter homeless people. She is not a criminal. Do you call that a criminal? Because I don’t.”Family members say Maria has lived in the U.S. since she was 15 years old and was a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient navigating the immigration process, which advocates say has become concerning for immigrant communities.”This is incredibly nerve-wracking and anxiety-inducing for our community in Sacramento. We have individuals who are following the process,” Jessie Mabry from Opening Doors said. “They are following the steps. They are coming to their ICE check-ins. They are coming to their immigration court hearings. They are doing their appointments with USCIS. They are following the rules, and then, in an instant, the rules are changed.”Her relatives describe the unexpected arrest and detention at the John Moss Federal Building as traumatic, alleging she was denied critical medical care while in custody. Janet Gallegos said, “They fed her frozen wrapped burritos and toilet paper as she told me. They grabbed all her belongings and put her in potato sacks. She is a diabetic, so my cousin brought her her medicine, but they did not give her the medicine. They humiliated her, saying her medicine as a diabetic is Ozempic, and they said that it is for obese people, not for diabetics, and she was without her medicine for more than 48 hours.”The family is now seeking legal assistance, hoping to bring Maria back to Sacramento, the place they say she calls home.Attempts to reach ICE for comment have not been successful, but advocates say they will continue pressing federal officials until she’s allowed to return home.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
Local leaders, lawmakers, and immigrant advocates rallied in downtown Sacramento, demanding the return of a Natomas woman they say was wrongfully deported after a scheduled green card appointment.
Janet Gallegos, Maria’s niece, described her as an inspiring woman and said her aunt has been “Doing everything right, coming in for her appointments as a DACA recipient and petitioning for her green card on behalf of my cousin… she is a manager at her hotel who serves Sacramento residents. They have a contract with the city to shelter homeless people. She is not a criminal. Do you call that a criminal? Because I don’t.”
Family members say Maria has lived in the U.S. since she was 15 years old and was a
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient navigating the immigration process, which advocates say has become concerning for immigrant communities.
“This is incredibly nerve-wracking and anxiety-inducing for our community in Sacramento. We have individuals who are following the process,” Jessie Mabry from Opening Doors said. “They are following the steps. They are coming to their ICE check-ins. They are coming to their immigration court hearings. They are doing their appointments with USCIS. They are following the rules, and then, in an instant, the rules are changed.”
Her relatives describe the unexpected arrest and detention at the John Moss Federal Building as traumatic, alleging she was denied critical medical care while in custody.
Janet Gallegos said, “They fed her frozen wrapped burritos and toilet paper as she told me. They grabbed all her belongings and put her in potato sacks. She is a diabetic, so my cousin brought her her medicine, but they did not give her the medicine. They humiliated her, saying her medicine as a diabetic is Ozempic, and they said that it is for obese people, not for diabetics, and she was without her medicine for more than 48 hours.”
The family is now seeking legal assistance, hoping to bring Maria back to Sacramento, the place they say she calls home.
Attempts to reach ICE for comment have not been successful, but advocates say they will continue pressing federal officials until she’s allowed to return home.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel