Senators Demand Return Of Deported California Daca Recipient

WASHINGTON — Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) called for nan Department of Homeland Security to return a California female pinch DACA who was precocious deported a time aft her greenish paper interview.

DACA, aliases Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, is nan Obama-era programme that since 2012 has shielded definite immigrants brought to nan U.S. arsenic children from deportation and allowed them to activity legally.

Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez lived successful California for 27 years earlier being detained astatine her greenish paper question and reply past period and deported wrong 24 hours, contempt having progressive DACA protection and nary criminal history. Her communicative was first reported by nan Sacramento Bee.

On a telephone from Mexico connected Thursday pinch reporters, Estrada Juarez, 42, said DACA was expected to protect group for illustration her who activity difficult and travel nan rules.

“I did everything I could to build a unchangeable life and springiness my girl nan opportunities that I ne'er had,” she said. “But astir 2 weeks ago, everything changed. I was wrongfully deported. In a azygous moment, astir 30 years of my life were taken distant from maine — my home, my work, my community.”

Homeland Security did not respond to a petition for remark astir Estrada’s case.

The detention and deportation of DACA recipients is successful stark opposition to erstwhile administrations, including nan first Trump administration, and years of bipartisan support for immigrants brought to nan U.S. arsenic children. For admittance into nan program, they must walk inheritance checks and meet definite acquisition aliases activity requirements.

Trump has fixed mixed signals connected DACA recipients, known arsenic “Dreamers.” In his first term, he tried unsuccessfully to unopen down nan program. In December 2024 connected “Meet nan Press” he said that “I want to beryllium capable to activity thing out” connected their behalf, but offered nary specifics and nan management has done thing to connection them other protection.

The program’s destiny has since remained embroiled successful litigation.

Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) said Homeland Security provided conflicting information to members of Congress astir really galore DACA recipients person been detained and deported since Trump returned to nan White House.

In a Jan. 12 letter to Garcia, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that betwixt Jan. 1 and Sept. 28 of 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement had arrested 270 DACA recipients. The missive did not opportunity really galore of those 270 were deported.

Of those, 130 had criminal convictions, 120 had pending criminal charges and 14 were successful usurpation of migration law, she wrote. That adds up to 264, not 270.

“Please statement DACA is simply a shape of prosecutorial discretion that does not confer lawful status,” wrote Noem, who was fired Thursday.

But successful a letter to Durbin and different senators past month, Noem provided smaller numbers, though she addressed a longer clip period, Jan. 1 to Nov. 19, 2025. She said nan agency had arrested 261 DACA recipients and deported 86.

She said that of those arrested, 241 had criminal histories, though she did not specify if that meant convictions aliases pending charges.

On Wednesday, Garcia wrote backmost to Noem, saying, “The discrepancies betwixt your 2 responses show gross incompetency aliases intentional misdirection.”

The conflicting information from Noem came aft 95 members of Congress successful September demanded answers astir nan targeting of DACA recipients. They wrote that missive aft Tricia McLaughlin, nan erstwhile Homeland Security nationalist affairs secretary, said DACA recipients “are not automatically protected from deportation.”

The lawmakers cited nan lawsuit of a deaf and non-verbal DACA recipient pinch nary criminal history who was detained past twelvemonth amid nan migration raids successful Los Angeles. He was later released.

As of June 2025, location were much than 515,000 DACA recipients successful nan U.S., a alteration since nan program’s highest of astir 800,000. With 144,000, California has nan astir of immoderate state, according to national data.

Estrada Juarez did not return questions during nan telephone Thurday pinch reporters, but Ivonne Rodriguez, property head for migration betterment astatine nan defense group FWD.us, explained to The Times what happened.

Around 11 a.m. connected Feb. 18, Estrada Juarez arrived pinch her girl Damaris Bello, a 22-year-old U.S. citizen, astatine nan John E. Moss Federal Building successful Sacramento for an question and reply arsenic portion of nan process to get ineligible imperishable residency, aliases a greenish card.

At nan courthouse, migration agents took Estrada Juarez’s fingerprints and asked her to use a fingerprint to a shape saying she had agreed to beryllium deported, Rodriguez said. She refused.

An serviceman told Estrada Juarez “If you don’t sign, I will make you sign.” The serviceman grabbed her manus and forced her to motion utilizing her fingerprint, Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said national agents cited a deportation bid from 1998 during Estrada Juarez’s detention past period astatine nan courthouse. But being a DACA recipient should mean that specified orders are not acted upon while nan protected position is active, truthful agelong arsenic nan personification stays retired of criminal trouble.

“She kept stating she had progressive DACA passim nan full clip and they did not care,” Rodriguez said.

By 8 a.m. nan adjacent morning, Estrada Juarez had been dropped disconnected by autobus successful Tijuana, Rodriguez said.

Estrada Juarez is among galore immigrants arrested for deportation astatine courthouses since past year, a believe that breaks from longstanding erstwhile procedure.

During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday connected oversight of Homeland Security, Durbin asked Noem astir Estrada Juarez and nan different deported DACA recipients.

“Madam secretary, why person you deported dozens of DACA holders who had to comply pinch a criminal inheritance cheque to beryllium eligible for DACA?” Durbin asked.

“Sir, we travel each laws arsenic applicable to nan Department of Homeland Security,” Noem replied earlier Durbin trim her off.

“Why did you deport them?” he repeated.

Noem said she wasn’t acquainted pinch nan specifications of Estrada Juarez’s lawsuit but would look into it.

On nan telephone Thursday pinch Estrada Juarez, Sen. Padilla (D-Calif.) said he met her girl this week. He and different Democrats called for Congress to walk authorities that would permanently protect DACA recipients from deportation.

“DACA recipients did everything correct and followed each nan instructions laid retired successful nan program,” he said. “They took nan United States authorities astatine its word, and they’ve kept their extremity of nan deal. But now we cognize that Donald Trump and Kristi Noem are breaking nan government’s promise.”

Estrada Juarez said justness successful her lawsuit would mean being allowed to return to nan U.S.

“I’m not asking for a typical treatment,” she said. “I’m asking for what is right. My deportation was wrong, and my family should not person to beryllium torn apart. I conscionable want to alteration to spell location and clasp my girl again.”