Latest news with #SánchezTejeda
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida immigration meetings bring new risks of arrest, deportation
Immigration interviews are suddenly moved up, sometimes by phone, or with last-minute notice by letter. People in legal limbo and with deportation orders are caught off guard. They show up thinking it's just another annual check-in, a routine interview. Instead, they're arrested and deported within days. Advocates and immigration attorneys said this bait-and-switch has become more frequent. They say these actions could weaken core legal protections and create more uncertainty among the community. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the agency is working aggressively by addressing 'vulnerabilities' in immigration policies, an effort that has deep support from those who want tighter controls on immigration. Ira Mehlman, spokesperson for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, defended these policies, saying that people who are detained have already gone through a legal process. He said in recent months the government has offered people the opportunity to leave the country, including through the Customs and Border Protection app, which allows them to inform the Department of Homeland Security of their plans to depart. 'If people have been ordered deported from U.S., it means they have already had the benefit of the legal process and been ordered by a judge to leave the country,' Mehlman said. Jessica M. Vaughan, director of policy studies at Center for Immigration Studies, said these detentions are happening much more frequently than in the past, but that 'it's a reasonable tactic.' Vaughan said immigrants who have defied removal orders should not be able to walk into a federal building to apply for an immigration benefit. 'These are individuals who have had very generous due process and a day in court, but decided to ignore removal orders issued by immigration judges and remain here anyway, or they are people who skipped out on their proceedings altogether,' Vaughan said. But critics say those efforts often target families and individuals who pose no security threat. Lynn Damiano Pearson, an attorney at the National Immigration Law Center, said rescheduling check-ins at the last minute 'seems like another cruel tactic' to detain and deport immigrants who are trying to follow what she called 'deeply confusing immigration laws.' 'Every single American should speak out against what's happening,' Pearson said. Such policies and tactics have had immediate and devastating consequences for families like that of Heidy Sánchez Tejeda, a Cuban mother of a 1-year-old girl and the wife of a U.S. citizen. Sánchez Tejeda was detained two weeks ago during an interview at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Tampa. Forty-eight hours later, she was deported to Cuba. Her lawyer, Claudia Cañizares, said they thought Sánchez Tejeda's interview was like another she had last year. Sánchez Tejeda was placed on a deportation list five years ago after a missed hearing in 2019, but had a permanent asylum petition filed by her husband. 'In these times, we're seeing everything,' Cañizares said. 'They showed no consideration for her at all.' Cañizares is collecting thousands of signatures to show immigration authorities the community's support and is planning to request a permit for Sánchez Tejeda to stay on humanitarian grounds, the last legal option she would have. 'Otherwise, she might have to wait years outside the country before she could try to reunite with her family,' Cañizares said. Mich P. González, attorney and co-founder of Sanctuary of the South, a justice group led by grassroots attorneys and organizers, said current immigration enforcement practices are terrorizing immigrant communities, including mixed-status families, U.S. citizens and vulnerable children. González represents a Honduran mother who was arrested during an immigration interview in Louisiana three weeks ago and then deported to her home country along with her 2-year-old daughter, who was born in United States. The woman was deported without having the opportunity to speak with her attorneys. 'They are eroding any faith that the executive branch will uphold constitutional law, comply with federal court orders, or respect even the most basic of civil and human rights,' González said. The case's federal judge wrote in a memorandum order that the toddler was deported with no 'meaningful process.' The mother was under the supervision of the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program, an alternative to detention that uses an ankle bracelet or wrist-worn device, apps or check-ins as people await court or deportation. A second Honduran mother and her children were deported from an immigration meeting in Louisiana just days later. The American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement that both families have possible immigration relief. But immigration authorities denied them access to their attorneys, leaving legal counsel unable to advise them in time, according to the group. Advocate Victricia Simmons, executive director of Florida Rising, a group that promotes justice and empowerment in Florida, said community members and advocates are not exaggerating when they say it feels harsh. She said the rescheduling of immigration check-ins has a devastating impact. 'The process leaves people terrified, caught off guard, and without the basic opportunity to respond with legal support,' said Simmons. Sánchez Tejeda, the Cuban mother deported two weeks ago, told the Tampa Bay Times that being suddenly separated from her 1-year-old daughter, Kailyn, has taken a heavy emotional and physical toll on both of them. Her daughter was still breastfeeding. Now, the baby struggles to eat, has trouble sleeping and cries constantly. Sánchez is battling insomnia and depression. She's seeing a psychologist in Havana and takes medication to help manage her depression and anxiety. Rex Chen, supervising attorney for immigrant rights at the nonprofit legal defense fund LatinoJustice PRLDEF, said moving up immigration check-ins to make surprise arrests is another 'egregious example' of how Immigration and Customs Enforcement is violating due process rights. 'It must stop,' said Chen.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
After Tampa mom deported to Cuba, Castor urges federal action
Five years ago, Heidy Sánchez Tejeda crossed the U.S. southern border. Last week, she was deported to Cuba after she was arrested during an immigration interview in Tampa, separating her from her husband, Carlos Yuniel Valle, and their 1-year-old daughter, Kailyn. On Friday, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D–Tampa, met privately with Valle to affirm her support and explore possible legal and humanitarian avenues to help Sánchez Tejeda return. Castor also met with two other women whose partners were deported to a prison in El Salvador in March. Castor sent a letter this week urging President Donald Trump to grant humanitarian parole for Sánchez Tejada. Castor denounced the way immigration authorities arrested Sánchez Tejeda during a regularly scheduled check-in at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Tampa on April 22. 'The separation of mother and daughter was so sudden and traumatic that their infant daughter was taken to the hospital,' Castor wrote. 'The baby was still breastfeeding at the time your administration tore them apart, and the baby's ongoing health issues require her mother's return to the U.S. as soon as possible.' Castor said the treatment of the Sánchez Tejeda-Valle family was 'a deep stain and is repugnant to American values and constitutional protections.' 'Ms. Sánchez is entitled to due process, and her husband and daughter (both U.S. citizens) deserve to be treated with the dignity we value as Americans,' wrote Castor. 'Due to the suffocating oppression in Cuba and lack of essentials like food and clean water, Ms. Sánchez should not be trafficked to a country where she will be harmed and suffer.' Sánchez Tejeda's case has drawn the attention of local leaders, advocates and nonprofits who defend immigrant rights. Last weekend, dozens of supporters gathered in downtown Tampa to show solidarity with Sánchez and her family. One of the organizers, Ruth Beltran, an advocate with the Tampa Bay Immigrant Solidarity Network, said the demonstration was a call to action for justice and dignity. 'No mother should be ripped apart from their child like Heidy was. It is inhumane and unacceptable. Too many immigrant mothers are now faced with this reality,' said Beltran. 'We stand together to demand dignity for mothers and children confronting the cruelty of family separation and violation of basic human rights.' Sánchez Tejeda first came to the United States in 2019 under a temporary stay permit known as the I-220B form, a permit that does not grant legal status or provide protection from deportation. She missed an immigration hearing while she was waiting in Mexico and was ordered deported in absentia. When she later entered the United States, Sánchez Tejeda was detained for nine months in an immigration facility. She was released under the condition to regularly check in with immigration authorities, an order she complied with and followed. Sánchez Tejeda married Valle, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, four years ago. He filed a petition for permanent legal status for his wife, but Valle said he never received a response from immigration authorities. Sánchez Tejeda's attorney, Claudia Canizares, launched a campaign on MoveOn to collect 3,000 signatures in solidarity with Sánchez Tejeda. So far, it has gathered 2,100 signatures. Canizares said the issue is not only about immigration. 'It is about compassion, family unity, and a child's right to her mother's care,' Canizares wrote in her petition drive. 'We ask that you act swiftly to correct this tragic separation and allow this family to heal together.' Valle said his family also tried to reach out to the office of U.S. Sen. Rick Scott last week through one of Sánchez Tejeda's cousins, Alonso Rodríguez, who's fluent in English. But Scott's office said in a letter that they were unable to assist. 'You may wish to speak with a private attorney, who can best answer any legal questions or concerns you have,' the letter stated. The emotional toll of the separation is growing by the day. During an interview through WhatsApp with the Tampa Bay Times on Friday morning, Sánchez Tejeda, who is living at her mother's house in Havana, said she can't sleep thinking about her daughter. 'It's very difficult to live this way, far from my daughter and my family,' said Sánchez Tejeda. 'My daughter needs me. My daughter is still breastfeeding.' Sánchez Tejeda described the pain of separation not only for herself, but for her daughter, who is too young to understand why her mother is gone. 'I am suffering, but so is my daughter, and that's what worries me the most. It's very hard because every time she sees me on the phone, she says, 'Mama come, Mama come!'' Sánchez Tejeda said. 'I can't explain to her that I'm far away and can't be with her. It breaks my heart.'
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
She showed up to an immigration meeting in Tampa, then got deported
Tampa community groups and advocates are organizing a demonstration Saturday in support of a Cuban wife and mother who was deported Thursday following an immigration appointment in Tampa. Heydi Sánchez Tejeda, 44, was arrested following a regularly scheduled check-in at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Tampa on Tuesday morning. Hours later, she was transferred to a jail in Pinellas County. On Wednesday, she was taken to Miami and, by Thursday afternoon, deported along with a group of Cubans on a flight back to the island. 'We're devastated,' said her husband, Carlos Yuniel Valle, 40. Sánchez Tejeda entered through the southern border five years ago and was under a temporary stay permit known as the I-220B form, a permit that does not grant a legal status or provide protection from deportation. Sánchez Tejeda married Valle four years couple has a 1-year-old daughter. 'It's terrible. Right now I'm sending clothes, money, something to my wife in Cuba because she has nothing there,' Valle said in a phone interview. 'It's a deep pain. Please bring her back. She's my wife, she's the mother of my daughter. I want her back so we can continue with our lives.' Sánchez Tejeda tried to enter the U.S. through the southern border in 2019 and was placed into the 'Remain in Mexico' program, which required asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for their U.S. immigration court hearings. She waited for two scheduled hearings but missed the second one because she couldn't leave the border city due to local safety concerns, according to Valle. When she later entered the United States, Sánchez Tejeda was detained for nine months and placed on a deportation list. During that time, Valle said, she became sick with kidney problems and did not contest the deportation order issued by an immigration judge because of her health. She wasn't deported right away because Cuba was not accepting deportation flights at the time, Valle said. Sánchez Tejeda was released with an I-220B form. Two years ago, Valle filed a petition for permanent legal status for his wife, but he said he never received a response from immigration authorities. Six months ago, Sánchez Tejeda went to an immigration appointment and had no issues. Valle said that this year, his wife's appointment was scheduled for April 30, but she received a notice saying she needed to show up a week earlier. Valle said the government should take into account that his wife has no criminal record, works caring for the elderly in their homes, and is a devoted mother who was still breastfeeding their daughter. 'We're just people working for our child,' he said. Sánchez Tejeda's family and supporters will hold a demonstration and press conference in support of the family at 1 p.m. Saturday at 801 N Florida Ave. in Tampa.
