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News > World

Detained DACA Recipient Released, But Dreamers Still At Risk

  • ICE agents during immigration raids in Atlanta, Georgia. Feb. 11, 2017.

    ICE agents during immigration raids in Atlanta, Georgia. Feb. 11, 2017. | Photo: Rueters

Published 10 March 2017
Opinion

Daniela Vargas came to national attention when she was arrested for speaking out publicly against the detainment of her family. 

Daniela Vargas, a well-known 22-year-old recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, or DACA, was released from the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE. Vargas was earlier arrested after criticizing U.S. immigration policy in a press conference.

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"She's really happy to be on her way back to her family and community," said Karen Tumlin, legal director for the National Immigration Law Center, which worked to secure her release.

On March 1, Vargas – who arrived in the U.S. from Argentina when she was 7-years-old – was arrested by ICE agents after she spoke at a press conference organized by the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance in Jackson, Mississippi.

At the press conference, Vargas denounced the ICE raid and subsequent detention of her father and brother, where agents threatened her with deportation. Under the DACA program, Vargas had previously been granted temporary status and was awaiting re-approval when she was arrested.

During the press conference, Vargas said that “a path for citizenship is necessary for DACA recipients, but also for the other 11 million undocumented people with dreams.”

According to her lawyer, Abby Peterson, Vargas is set to be released on Friday from the LaSalle Detention Center in Jena, Louisiana, after an order of suspension. Peterson said that it was expected that Vargas would soon be returning home.

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“Court filings regarding the reason and manner of arrest and detention continue to be pursued in an effort to secure Daniela’s rights. We maintain our commitment to the rights of all persons in the U.S., regardless of immigration status,” Peterson said in a statement.

Although Vargas' release is a win for her and immigrant rights activists, it does not mean that all DACA recipients are safe from deportation. ICE issued an ominous warning for other DACA recipients via its Twitter account on Friday, tweeting that DACA is "not a protected legal status" and that “deferred action does not prevent DHS (Department of Homeland Security) from executing a removal order.”

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