Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez and New York Immigration Coalition Welcome News of Brooklyn Mom’s Reprieve from Deportation
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Thanu Yakupitiyage, Main Phone: 212-627-2227 x235, E-mail: tyaku@thenyic.org
New York City
(Sunday, May 6, 2012)
“I cannot find the words to express my gratitude to those who worked so hard to help me, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, the New York Immigration Coalition, my pro bono attorney, Samson Koyonda, my friend, Linda Sarsour, and to the hundreds of people that contacted ICE on my behalf,” said Sara Martinez. “Remaining in the U.S. allows me to stay with my daughter and make sure that she has the opportunity to grow up in her own country and receive the education she deserves.”
Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez and New York Immigration Coalition Welcome News of Brooklyn Mom’s Reprieve from Deportation
ICE Suspends Deportation Proceedings after Major Advocacy Campaign
Today, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez and the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) announced that, after a major campaign to stop the deportation of Sara Martinez, an immigrant from Ecuador and hardworking mother of a six-year-old American citizen, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reversed its position, and will offer to close Ms. Martinez’ case as allowed by new guidelines issued by the Obama administration.
The new prosecutorial discretion policy, announced last August, directs the agency to follow enforcement guidelines designed to better use its limited resources, and also bring hardworking immigrants with strong community ties out from under the threat of deportation. Under the policy, ICE must review 300,000 pending cases to determine which cases fall within the Administration’s enforcement priorities. ICE will halt the deportations of those individuals who are low priorities - youth brought to the U.S. as children, military family members, crime victims, and immigrants with strong family ties who do not pose a risk to public safety.
The administration has been widely criticized for failing to adhere to the new policy. To date, ICE has determined that only 7.5 percent of cases reviewed nationally merit an exercise of discretion under this new policy. In New York City, of the approximately 20,000 cases that have been reviewed, only 207, or 1%, have been closed. On Monday, ICE will close immigration courts in New York City in order to begin an intensive review of pending deportation cases, as provided for by the policy.
Sara’s case clearly fell within the new guidelines. She is a longtime resident and mother of a U.S. citizen child. She entered the country legally but overstayed her visa. She had no criminal record and did not fit the government’s profile of a “high enforcement priority.” In her time here, she has done extensive volunteer work, including helping domestic violence survivors; serving low-income and immigrant families; and volunteering at a support center for cancer survivors. She also has the strong support of her community and of her Congressional representative, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez. Since last November, ICE had denied each of Sara’s five requests to have her case closed, in spite of her strong community and family ties. It wasn’t until the NYIC launched a massive campaign urging the head of ICE, John Morton, to personally review the case; multiple news stories on Univision, the New York Times and Daily News; and finally, a personal plea from Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez—that the agency finally reversed its earlier decisions.
"The President’s policy of allowing flexibility for undocumented workers who are law abiding was designed for people like Sara, but until recently ICE was refusing to consider her circumstances,” Rep. Nydia Velázquez said. “I want to thank ICE Director Morton for taking another look at this case and ensuring the agency did the right thing by halting deportation proceedings against Sara.” As a national champion of immigration reform and immediate past Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Rep. Velázquez also played an instrumental role in pressing the White House and Department of Homeland Security to implement administrative measures like the discretion policy, designed to provide relief for families who should not be targeted for deportations.
“I cannot find the words to express my gratitude to those who worked so hard to help me, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, the New York Immigration Coalition, my pro bono attorney, Samson Koyonda, my friend, Linda Sarsour, and to the hundreds of people that contacted ICE on my behalf,” said Sara Martinez. “Remaining in the U.S. allows me to stay with my daughter and make sure that she has the opportunity to grow up in her own country and receive the education she deserves.”
“We are pleased that ICE has finally recognized that deporting Sara does not serve the public interest,” said Ms. Chung-Wha Hong, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition. “We call on DHS Secretary Napolitano to stop deporting thousands of others just like Sara and ensure that the new guidelines are implemented consistently and fairly.”
Photo Above (left to right): Linda Sarsour, friend of Sara; Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez; Chung-Wha Hong, NYIC executive director; Sara Martinez; and Samson Koyonda, her pro bono attorney
Sara Martinez is just one of countless examples of families living under the fear of being torn apart by our broken immigration system. The New York Immigration Coalition is currently conducting a monitoring project to see how prosecutorial discretion plays out across New York State, and expects to release findings in the fall.
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About the New York Immigration Coalition: The New York Immigration Coalition is an umbrella policy and advocacy organization for nearly 200 groups in New York State that work with immigrants and refugees. The NYIC aims to achieve a fairer and more just society that values the contributions of immigrants and extends opportunity to all by promoting immigrants’ full civic participation, fosters their leadership, and provides a unified voice and a vehicle for collective action for New York’s diverse immigrant communities.
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