By Matthew Miranda<\/p>\n
Sen. Alex Padilla joined other lawmakers in calling for the return of a Sacramento mother deported last month despite having legal permission to live in the country, a case that has drawn national attention to enforcement against recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The lawmakers held a press conference alongside immigration advocates Thursday morning to highlight the removal of Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez and raise concerns about the targeting of people with DACA.<\/p>\n
The DACA program, created under President Barack Obama, has shielded some immigrants from deportation if they arrived in the U.S. as children and have not been convicted of a crime. Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem acknowledged her agency had deported at least 86 recipients in 2025. President Donald Trump announced Thursday on social media that he was firing Noem. Estrada Juarez is one of the few publicized DACA deportations in the country. The Sacramento Bee first reported last month that she was deported to Mexico within 24 hours after arriving for a green card appointment in downtown Sacramento.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer family have been impacted by the cruelty of this administration,\u201d said Padilla, who met with Estrada Juarez\u2019s daughter this week. \u201cDACA recipients, like Maria, are a part of our communities, and they deserve better than to be targeted by Trump and Noem\u2019s campaign of mass deportation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The California senator was joined by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill. They, along with the immigration advocates, called on Congress to pass legislation that would create a pathway to citizenship for DACA holders.<\/p>\n
Durbin had cited Estrada Juarez\u2019s case Tuesday during Noem\u2019s hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Noem said she was not aware of Estrada Juarez\u2019s removal and would \u201clook into it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI pressed her on these actions and on Maria\u2019s case,\u201d Durbin said on Thursday. \u201cNaturally, she dodged a response and simply said she would look into it. We\u2019re going to try to make sure she does.\u201d<\/p>\n
Enforcement against DACA recipients underscores how aggressively the administration has moved to crackdown on immigrants, including those following the established legal pathway to live in the country.<\/p>\n
The status, only given after a background check, is prosecutorial discretion \u201cto not pursue the removal of an individual,\u201d according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The agency is also required to follow a process for terminating DACA.<\/p>\n
Even so, DHS said last week it had deported 86 recipients and detained 261 with the status from Jan. 1 to Nov. 19, 2025. Of the people detained, the agency claimed 241 had \u201ccriminal histories\u201d though the agency did not detail the allegations or if the individuals had been convicted.<\/p>\n
Estrada Juarez\u2019s removal had raised particular concerns by legal experts given that she was deported in less than 24 hours and had received previous federal permission to leave and re-enter the country. The swift removal led to immediate outcry from state and local lawmakers.<\/p>\n
She briefly spoke via video at Thursday\u2019s press conference and said the \u201cgreatest pain\u201d of her deportation was losing time with her U.S. citizen daughter, who also attended the green card appointment last month. Estrada Juarez called on the U.S. government to revert its \u201cwrongful\u201d deportation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth is simple,\u201d she said. \u201cThe United States is my home. My daughter is there. My life is there. I\u2019m not asking for a special treatment. I\u2019m asking for what is right. My deportation was wrong, and my family should not have to be torn apart. I just want to go home and hold my daughter again.\u201d<\/p>\n
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