Well…that didn't go as planned. 'Dreamer' detained by ICE after publicly speaking out about her family's pending deportation. pic.twitter.com/34YhbkXwfJ
— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) March 2, 2017
An illegal immigrant decided to speak publicly at a news conference about her immigration status Wednesday. She was later detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
Daniela Vargas, 22, was detained in Jackson, Miss. shortly after speaking at the press conference, The Clarion-Ledger reports. Vargas, an Argentine national who arrived in the U.S. at age 7, was previously protected under President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Her DACA status, however, recently expired.
Vargas’ attorney Abby Peterson told The Clarion-Ledger that Vargas’ car was pulled over by ICE agents moments after the news conference, and they told her, “You know who we are, you know what we’re here for.”
The press conference was hosted by local churches, immigration attorneys and the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance to speak about recently deported families. “A path for citizenship is necessary for DACA recipients but also for the other 11 million undocumented people with dreams,” Vargas said at the press event.
Vargas can be seen in this photo of the press conference wearing a blue shirt with short hair and standing in the back.
Press conference happening in downtown Jackson on immigration, ICE raids and the Trump administration pic.twitter.com/xaSK9wPS0N
— Sarah Fowler (@FowlerSarah) March 1, 2017
Her father and brother were also recently detained by ICE agents as they were likewise in the country illegally. Under direction from President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, ICE has stopped the prioritizing the deportation of only the most serious of criminals.
Vargas’ attorney told The Clarion-Ledger: “The concern is, with the priorities as they were set forth in the executive order, people who are not criminals, people who have not been convicted, people who have not even been charged will be swept up by ICE at the same time as violent criminals.”
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