SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California woman who had lived in the U.S. for 27 years before the Trump administration deported her to Mexico in February has reunited with her daughter following a federal judge's order for her return. Maria de Jesús Estrada Juárez was shielded from deportation under an Obama-era program known as DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) that allows individuals brought to the U.S. as children to stay if they adhere to certain conditions.
However, everything changed on February 18 when she was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during an immigration hearing and deported the following day. I didn’t get to say goodbye, Estrada Juárez said at a news conference in Sacramento upon her return, expressing the pain of being abruptly separated from her family.
Her 22-year-old daughter, Damaris Bello, shared the emotional toll of her mother's sudden departure, stating, It was like grieving someone who was still alive. This case illustrates a rare instance of a judge reversing a deportation order; U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins issued a temporary restraining order on March 23, citing the deportation as a violation of DACA protections and a breach of due process rights.
Estrada Juárez spent weeks in Mexico, feeling the weight of despair from being apart from her daughter. She highlighted the emotional impact of the separation saying, You can’t enjoy life when the most important part of your life is not there.
The Department of Homeland Security defended the deportation, claiming it was based on a 1998 removal order, but Estrada Juárez's legal team argued that she was unjustly penalized due to a processing error in her immigration history.
Bello, reunited with her mother Monday night, expressed hope that other families do not have to endure similar separations, emphasizing how meaningful it is to have her mother back home as they embark on healing together.
However, everything changed on February 18 when she was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during an immigration hearing and deported the following day. I didn’t get to say goodbye, Estrada Juárez said at a news conference in Sacramento upon her return, expressing the pain of being abruptly separated from her family.
Her 22-year-old daughter, Damaris Bello, shared the emotional toll of her mother's sudden departure, stating, It was like grieving someone who was still alive. This case illustrates a rare instance of a judge reversing a deportation order; U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins issued a temporary restraining order on March 23, citing the deportation as a violation of DACA protections and a breach of due process rights.
Estrada Juárez spent weeks in Mexico, feeling the weight of despair from being apart from her daughter. She highlighted the emotional impact of the separation saying, You can’t enjoy life when the most important part of your life is not there.
The Department of Homeland Security defended the deportation, claiming it was based on a 1998 removal order, but Estrada Juárez's legal team argued that she was unjustly penalized due to a processing error in her immigration history.
Bello, reunited with her mother Monday night, expressed hope that other families do not have to endure similar separations, emphasizing how meaningful it is to have her mother back home as they embark on healing together.
