![\"h\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/dacavenue041326-4.jpg\")
Daniela Valladares Hernandez when she was six years old. She\u2019s wearing a Dora the Explorer watch.(Courtesy) <\/p>\nDaniela Valladares Hernandez still remembers what she carried on her more than 1,000-mile journey from Honduras to the U.S.-Mexico border.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A small purple book bag, orange shorts and her Barbie dolls.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Valladares said the outfit was inspired by Dora the Explorer, her childhood obsession.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daniela Valladares Hernandez when she was six years old. She\u2019s wearing a Dora the Explorer watch.(Courtesy) <\/p>\n
\u201cThey drew me a map the same way Dora had,\u201d Daniela said, recalling the strangers she traveled with. \u201cI knew that as I embarked on the journey by foot that the final destination and the star where I was going to be safe was the U.S.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The then six-year-old\u00a0held onto her Swan Lake Princess and Rapunzel dolls the entire trip, even after nearly drowning crossing the Rio Grande.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy innocence and childhood, I left them at the border the moment those Barbies were dropped and I was handcuffed and put behind bars,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was in 2004. The now 28-year-old DACA recipient has since built a life in the United States after first settling in Georgia, where she pushed herself academically to eventually attend George Washington University and graduate from Cornell University.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"f\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/dacavenue041326-5.jpg\")
A graduation photo of Valladares.(Courtesy)<\/p>\n
Valladares has lived in California for the last four years and currently lives in Sacramento, where she\u2019s pursuing a career in finance. But a letter that arrived late last month upended her life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Atlanta immigration court in Georgia reopened her case and ordered her to appear in person within days of receiving the notice despite her case being administratively closed in 2014. Valladares said she was not provided a reason for her case being reopened.<\/p>\n
The Executive Office for Immigration Review did not immediately respond to questions for this story.<\/p>\n
Valladares filed motions to move her case to California or appear remotely, but both were denied.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s despite the fact that her attorney\u2019s request to appear remotely was granted.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe will not be able to walk in with me, but I am still expected to walk in alone,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is quite odd and interesting that they are trying to now drag me back into a place that did not allow me to build my life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Valladares is referring to constant road blocks she encountered while living in Georgia, including a high school counselor who threatened to report her to immigrations customs enforcement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
DACA recipients targeted\u00a0<\/p>\n
Greg Chen with the American Immigration Lawyers Association said the organization has seen a dramatic increase of DACA recipients placed into deportation proceedings, with 300 taking place in recent months.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s likely that there are more DACA recipients that are now appearing in immigration court removal proceedings just in the past several months,\u201d Chen said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chen noted that the shift is part of a broader pattern of immigration courts changing how they operate. He pointed to a recent memorandum from the Executive Office for Immigration Review that removed previous guidance on change of venue requests<\/a> as a likely reason for Valladares\u2019 denial.\u00a0<\/p>\n The memo argues such requests can be abused by people trying to delay proceedings or seek courts with higher approval ratings. But Chen said the policy change, combined with increased pressure on judges to move cases quickly and rule in favor of the government, may be influencing decisions.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat kind of pressure impacts whether judges would be inclined to grant a change of venue \u2026 or other motions that might be perceived as slowing down the immediate proceedings,\u201d he said. \u201cPutting pressure on a judge to move forward on every case doesn\u2019t necessarily make the courts more efficient and is also likely to result in highly inconsistent results that are not consistent with the law.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Chen said it\u2019s also important to note that immigration courts operate under the U.S. Department of Justice, not as independent courts, and that recent firings of immigration judges with higher approval ratings<\/a> could be influencing judges\u2019 choices.\u00a0<\/p>\n The cost of a denial<\/p>\n When she received the letter that changed her life, Valladares reached out to NorCal Resist, a mutual aid nonprofit that assists immigrants going through deportation proceedings, for support on her case.\u00a0<\/p>\n Giselle Garcia, the nonprofit\u2019s program director, said the case stood out because change-of-venue requests like this are often granted.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cDaniela has been living in California for many years and it is impractical and almost impossible for her to uproot her life,\u201d she said. \u201cShe\u2019s being demanded to uproot her life essentially and navigate these proceedings across the country in a state where she has a history of rejection.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Her case has also drawn support from Congresswoman Doris Matsui, who represents Sacramento. She sent a letter to the Department of Justice urging officials to reconsider the decision to allow Valladares to move her case to California.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cDaniela lost her most recent employment due to the Department of Justice\u2019s decision to reopen her case,\u201d Matsui stated. \u201cBy requiring unnecessary travel to Georgia, the Departmnet of Justice is creating further extreme financial hardship for my constituent.\u201d <\/p>\n Data from Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse shows that Georgia immigration courts have some of the highest asylum denial rates<\/a> in the country with individual judge denial rates ranging from 57% to 98%.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Garcia also said if Valladares fails to appear in court, she could receive an automatic deportation order. That\u2019s a problem for Valladares because she\u2019s unwilling to fly due to concerns about immigration enforcement at airports, including in Atlanta<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Community members with NorCal Resist have already volunteered to drive her across the country for her hearing next month, but even that journey carries risk.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are going to be driving through conservative states\u2026 locations that have historically had border patrol stops,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cSo the journey is not a given, but it is the safest route for now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Valladares said she came to the United States seeking safety because she faced persecution in her home country and now fears what could happen next. But she\u2019s also determined to put up a fight not just for herself, but for the many other \u201cDreamers\u201d who are also afraid.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m scared that this fight ends with me losing the ability to have one more breath, but until the end, I will give it all my fight,\u201d she said. \u201cI want people to know who we are, the truth of who we are, and I hope that I can serve as encouragement to others that we\u2019re strong and we have genuinely done things to the best of our abilities the right way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Follow us for more stories like this<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. \u00a0As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.<\/p>\n![\"g\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/dacavenue041326-6.jpg\")
Giselle Garcia (right) discusses the case with Valladares Monday, April 13, 2026, at the NorCal Resist office in Sacramento.(Gerardo Zavala\/CapRadio)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/dacavenue041326-3.jpg\")
A butterfly bracelet on Valladares\u2019 wrist Monday, April 13, 2026, in East Sacramento. She says the bracelet is a symbol for DACA and reminds her of who she represents.(Gerardo Zavala\/CapRadio) <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n