On Jan. 30, Arely Tomas Orozco and her family won a partial victory in their struggle against ICE. Because of the intervention of a network of organizers and activists and the mobilization of people across New York, Arely has been granted more time in the U.S.
The struggle isn't over, however. Arely has to go back to the Buffalo immigration court in May 2013. It is possible that she could be deported at that time. We are asking everyone to sign and share the petition demanding that Arely and her family be allowed to stay in Central New York, where they work, live, and belong.
Background information:
On Jan. 8, Arely Tomas Orozco was travelling on 81 South with her partner, Hector Antonio Navarro, to pick up a friend from work. The vehicle was stopped by state police for having an expired registration. After Hector presented police with identification from Guatemala, the police proceeded to demand documentation from the vehicle's passengers.
State police detained most of the passengers--including Arely, her 3-year-old son, and her friend, Fredy--for almost two hours and then made Hector drive to the nearest rest stop. There was absolutely no reason to detain all of the passengers, and it was a clear violation of their civil rights. The police then called Border Patrol, who needlessly interrogated and then arrested Arely.
Earlier, Arely was detained by Border Patrol in Pheonix, AZ, while she was waiting with her child, Karen, who was 3-months-old at the time, and sister. Without a shred of evidence, Arely was accused of just having crossed the border from Mexico with her baby.
After Arely and her baby spent three days in jail they were released after proof was provided that Karen was a U.S. citizen.
After this injustice, Arely and her family moved to Central New York, where they had friends and were told they could find work. Unfortunately, Arely was never able to settle the legal matter in Arizona. When she was detained by ICE in New York, she was ordered to be deported "in abstentia."
Because of the intervention of activists, Arely was released on Jan. 18. She spent eight days in jail, five of which she was confined alone to a cell, only able to leave to take a shower.
This ordeal has had a devastating impact on all of the children, especially the 3-year-old, who is traumatized, having been subjected to this harassment for nearly three hours before watching his mother get taken away.
Arely, Hector, and their family have done nothing wrong. They are being punished because of the anti-immigrant policies of ICE and the Obama administration. Please take a moment to sign this petition to ICE to demand that deportation proceedings against Arely be halted immediately, and stay tuned for updates about how you can get involved in this struggle!
If you are able to make a donation to Arely and her family, please send a check to:
Catholic Charities
re: Arely Tomas family
264 E. Onondaga St.
Syracuse, NY 13202
This struggle is being supported by: Workers' Center of Central New York, Hispanic Coalition NY, ANSWER Syracuse, and others.