Any time someone is facing the possibility of being deported, there can be a great amount of fear and uncertainty for that person, their family and their friends in the community. Recently however, the community gathered around one woman to help her fight deportation. Their support helped the woman win a stay from being sent back to Guatemala. Anyone facing deportation and who has close ties to community leaders in Maryland or elsewhere may want to follow her story.
The woman came to the United States in 2010 and was pregnant at the time. She now has a 3-year-old son who is considered American. She was detained at a traffic stop and this put her on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement radar. ICE sought deportation.
The community held a rally to sway authorities in the case. The woman lives with the daughter of noted activist Noam Chomsky, professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The daughter is also a university professor and activist who is one of the woman’s most vocal supporters. Her friends and new family here contend the woman would be in danger if returned to Guatemala as she was a victim of domestic violence.
Not all people facing deportation can expect a stay or reprieve based on community support. Nevertheless, this case shows that a person facing deportation who can demonstrate a legitimate concern about returning to their home country (here, the fear of domestic violence), it is possible to fight deportation successfully. Any Maryland residents who are fearful of deportation may take heart in this recent ruling, particularly if they are preparing to fight their own deportation hearing.
Source: The Boston Globe, Salem woman gets reprieve from deportation, John Laidler, Oct. 3, 2013