Sacramento, California– A California woman who lived in the United States for 27 years before the Trump administration deported her to Mexico in February was reunited with her daughter this week after a judge ordered her return.
Mexican citizen María de Jesús Estrada Juárez was among hundreds of thousands of people protected from deportation under… Obama-era program Allowing people who were brought to the United States as children to remain in the country if they generally stay out of trouble.
But that changed on February 18 when she attended an immigration hearing, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and deported the next day.
“I couldn’t say goodbye,” the 42-year-old mother said at a news conference Tuesday in Sacramento. “It all happened so fast. This was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life.”
Estrada Juarez held her daughter’s hand and began choking as she recounted the experiences.
“It’s hard to describe the feeling of losing your mother suddenly, especially when you thought she was safe,” said Damaris Bello, Estrada Juarez’s 22-year-old daughter. “It was like grieving for someone who is still alive.”
Arrested by the federal government Several other recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA, during President Donald Trump’s second term. These events come amid the Trump administration’s broader reshaping of immigration policy.
Immigration advocates say Estrada Juarez’s dismissal highlights the need to provide more permanent protections for DACA recipients, who are often referred to as “Dreamers.”
This case is a rare example of a judge ordering someone to be returned to the United States after being deported, said Talia Enlender, deputy director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at the UCLA School of Law.
“But perhaps not surprisingly, this appears to be happening with greater frequency under the current administration that prioritizes speed and quotas, rather than fairness and process, in facilitating removals,” Enlender said in a statement.
The federal administration said Estrada Juarez was deported under a 1998 deportation order when Estrada Juarez was a teenager, shortly after she arrived in the United States. She was sent to Mexico at the time but returned to the United States weeks later and has had DACA status since 2013. Federal officials reinstated the 1998 order in February after her arrest.
Estrada Juarez spent the next few weeks after her deportation with relatives, stressed about being separated from her daughter.
“You can’t enjoy life when the most important part of your life isn’t there,” she said.
U.S. District Judge Dina Coggins, appointed by former President Joe Biden, issued a temporary restraining order on March 23, giving the federal government seven days to facilitate Estrada Juarez’s return to the United States. Her deportation was a “flagrant violation” of her protections under the DACA program and violated her due process rights, Coggins wrote.
The US Department of Homeland Security defended the deportation.
“ICE is following all court orders,” a department spokesperson said in a statement. “This is another ruling from an activist judge appointed by Biden.”
But Estrada Juarez was unaware of the 1998 order, which her lawyer says was not final.
“DACA gives you a birthright not to be deported once it is granted,” said Stacy Tulchin, an immigration attorney based in Pasadena, California. “I really don’t understand what they’re doing.”
Bello, who reunited with her mother Monday night, said she is recovering from the events and hopes other families don’t have to endure the same thing.
“Having her come home means everything to me,” she said. “This means we can start to heal, rebuild and move forward together as a family.”