JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A northeast Florida veterinarian is in federal immigration custody after being arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Arizona last month.
Dr. Melina Orozco was arrested Sept. 23 at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport by ICE officers from the agency’s Phoenix field office, according to a statement from an ICE spokesperson.
“Orozco was lawfully admitted into the United States on February 28, 2015, in Miami, Florida, with authorization to remain until August 27, 2015. She failed to depart the United States by more than a decade.”
“She will remain in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings,” the spokesperson added.
Orozco attorney said the legal team is focused on protecting her rights throughout the process.
“I am doing everything possible so that all of her rights are protected and not broken in any way,” the attorney said.
The attorney also addressed her immigration status directly.
“She applied for whatever benefits she was eligible to apply for at the time and applied for the benefits through USCIS and it is obviously no fault that USCIS has taken its time to adjudicate her request in a timely manner,” the attorney said.
She also had a court proceeding Monday for her first appearance, the attorney added.
Colleagues and friends of Orozco Aislant have launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover her legal fees and, if bail is authorized, to help pay it. The campaign is being organized and managed by AVVE and has raised nearly $20,000.
“For those of us who know her, it is painful to know she is far from her community while facing this process,” the campaign’s organizers wrote.
Her former co-workers and friends said she is too important to the community to be anywhere but Jacksonville.
“Truthfully, I ran to the bathroom and almost threw up,” Tabitha Vandiver, a veterinary technician, said, describing her reaction to hearing that Orozco was arrested.
Marisa Curro, a veterinarian, said that she is scared for her friend’s mental health.
“You can’t have her,” Cori Kennett said, who also has periodic contact with her through text messages from the facility.
“Those are just about not knowing, but the last one personally was things Girl. God put you specifically to help me in this situation and I am absolutely grateful. I had no idea what to do or who to reach out to for help, and nothing in this process was even familiar to us. My friends are all in the same situation,” Kennett said.
Vandiver said Orozco is the kind of person you would want in your corner.
“She really saw me sprout from just a little baby to something that I personally never thought I would be able to achieve, but she never gave up on me,” Vandiver said.
Curro said she was one of the first vets she met at the practice.
“She encouraged me to try and branch out of my comfort zone,” Curro said.
According to the GoFundMe, Orozco practiced as a small-animal veterinarian in Venezuela before obtaining her Florida veterinary license. The campaign states she has worked as a DVM in the United States since 2023.
In its statement, ICE said
Being in detention is also a choice. We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure using the CBP Home app. The United States is offering illegal aliens $3,000 and a free flight home if they self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and preserve the chance to return to the U.S. the legal way to live the American dream. If not, they will be arrested and deported without a chance for return.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Curro said that Orozco doesn’t have family so she’s trying to get support from everyone that she knows.
“I texted almost every contact in my phone, whether they knew her or not and I just told them, this is someone that’s important to me, imortant to this community,” Curro said.
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