UPDATE, February 9, 2:30pmET: García de Rayos has been deported to Mexico.
Guadalupe García de Rayos, Wednesday night in a deportation van. (Via Puente Arizona)
The following local story out of Phoenix has already gotten national media attention. From what our Arizona Rebeldes have told us and seen, and from what the media is reporting, a Wednesday protest to stop the deportation of Guadalupe García de Rayos turned into a day (and night) of protests to block a deportation van from leaving a Phoenix ICE office. The protests led to seven arrests.
García de Rayos was making her yearly check-in with immigration officials when she was detained. In 2008, according to The New York Times and other outlets, during one of then-Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s work raids, García de Rayos was arrested for having a fake Social Security card.
This local report from Phoenix has more details:
azfamily.com 3TV | Phoenix Breaking News, Weather, Sport
These Facebook live videos from Wednesday night show what happened:
In addition, Puente Arizona has posted an update to García de Rayos’ case on its Facebook page, urging supporters to act:
Please continue to share this with your friends, make calls and sign her petition. Thank you for those that have and continue to support Guadalupe and her family.
1. Call Senator McCain at (602) 952-2410 and ask him to stand with Guadalupe and her family and to release her from ICE.
2. Call the Phoenix ICE Director (Carter) and ask him to not deport Arizona mother Guadalupe García de Rayos (#095782449) and tell him her children need her and so does her community. Phoenix ICE Director: (602) 766-7030.
3. Share this and sign the petition! http://bit.ly/defendlupeGarcía de Rayos’ supporters plan to protest on Thursday:
AZ Central reported the following:
In a written statement, ICE officials confirmed that Garcia de Rayos had been detained based on a prior removal order issued by the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. The order became final in May 2013.
“Relevant databases indicate Ms. Garcia De Rayos has a prior felony conviction dating from March 2009 for criminal impersonation,” the statement said.
The felony conviction stems from a 2008 work-site raid by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, said attorney Ybarra-Maldonado.
He said Garcia de Rayos came to the U.S. in 1996, when she was 14.
In addition, people are tweeting from #FreeLupita:
#freelupita – when your kids help block a bus to stop your #undocumented #immigrant mother's #deportation.
— ANGY (@AskAngy) February 9, 2017
#freelupita https://t.co/YOyn1V4TIh
— Megan Frampton (@meganf) February 9, 2017
@realDonaldTrump @IvankaTrump – You're breaking up families, contributing members of this melting pot we call home. For what? #FreeLupita pic.twitter.com/4bf8OXC3Lf
— Iomay Caban (@icgleason) February 9, 2017
Holy shit: Arizona mother of 2, who left Mexico and entered the U.S. illegally when she was 14, may be deported under Trump's EO #FreeLupita
— igorvolsky (@igorvolsky) February 9, 2017
