Dozens took to the federal courthouse in Fresno on Friday to demand the release of a Firebaugh mom they say ICE detained last week.<\/p>\n
“She was doing everything right,” Democratic Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria said about Maria Caballero. “She followed the rules. She showed up, she trusted the process.”<\/p>\n
Caballero was working to adjust her status after entering the country unlawfully without the proper documents.<\/p>\n
“Her appointment was abruptly interrupted by ICE agents, and she was taken away in handcuffs,” Assemblywoman Soria said.<\/p>\n
Caballero’s son, Omar, is asking for his mother’s release. She is the primary caretaker of a child.<\/p>\n
“We were facing our biggest nightmare, the separation of our beloved family,” Omar Almaraz said. “To say that our mom is the foundation of our family is an understatement.”<\/p>\n
Caballero is currently at the California City Detention Facility, which officials reactivated this year as President Trump’s immigration crackdown plays out across the state.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Congressman Jim Costa calls for answers from ICE on detaining Pismo’s manager<\/a><\/p>\n “It’s very lifeless. It’s gray. Barbed wire everywhere. Gates everywhere. Guards everywhere,” Steven Rodriguez told Action News.<\/p>\n He visited his mom, Leticia, at the facility last weekend after he said ICE detained her during a Green Card interview.<\/p>\n They spoke over the phone with a glass barrier separating them.<\/p>\n “She was happy to see us, and I think that’s what she wants – She wants to see us,” Rodriguez said. “But she’s hurting and she’s missing us.”<\/p>\n What lies ahead for Caballero and Leticia is now unclear. A notice online states that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement cannot respond to questions due to the government shutdown.<\/p>\n “We have not had any communication with any immigration officials,” Assemblywoman Soria said.<\/p>\n Republican lawmakers have told Action News that they would welcome the return of deported immigrants as long as they follow the legal process to re-enter the country.<\/p>\n For news updates, follow Gabe Ferris on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and Instagram.<\/a><\/p>\n