United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday released Daniela Vargas, a 22-year-old Mississippi resident who was detained by immigration agents immediately after she spoke at an immigrants’ rights press conference in Jackson.
Elmore & Peterson Law Firm, a Jackson-based firm where at least one immigration attorney represents Vargas, announced in a statement Friday that while the terms of Vargas’ release under an Order of Supervision are not known at this time, the firm expects Vargas “to return to her friends and community in Mississippi shortly to resume her daily life and pursue her dreams.”
Vargas came to the United States from Argentina as a 7-year-old in 2001 and was allowed to remain in the country under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program from 2012 through 2016.
Vargas’ work authorization in the U.S. under DACA expired last November as she was saving for the $495 application filing fee to renew her status. Her latest DACA application, submitted around Feb. 10, is pending.
At a March 1 news conference outside Jackson City Hall, Vargas spoke about her hopes that she and other undocumented residents could remain in and contribute to the United States. On her way home from the gathering, ICE agents arrested her for being a “visa overstay”.
She was detained at LaSalle Detention Center, an ICE facility in Jena, La.
Last week, Abigail Peterson, Vargas’ immigration attorney with Elmore & Peterson, said ICE officials told her Vargas would not get a court hearing before an immigration judge or bond because she entered the United States on a visa waiver program at age 7.
Those who use the program do not have a right to a hearing or to contest their removal unless they are seeking asylum, according to information from Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute.
Peterson questioned whether Vargas’ waiver would apply in this circumstance because Vargas was brought to Mississippi from Argentina at a young age.
Earlier this week, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Immigration Law Center filed a legal petition that sought Vargas’ immediate release and a chance to challenge the decision to deport her, says a statement from the nonprofit organizations.
This was coupled with Vargas’ attorneys’ request submitted last week that ICE officials release Vargas from detention and stay her removal, which would temporarily stop her deportation.
Vargas’ arrest made national headlines earlier this month during a legislative session in which Mississippi lawmakers have considered several bills designed to crackdown on the presence of undocumented immigrants.
Most of the proposals were unsuccessful. However, the only remaining bill addressing illegal immigration is Senate Bill 2710, which bars sanctuary city policies. The bill passed out of the Mississippi House of Representatives this week.
Source: http://mississippitoday.org/2017/03/10/ice-releases-daniela-vargas/
