Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) has called on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to release Tucson resident Karla Toledo from custody.
According to the Arizona congresswoman, Toledo was “taken aggressively” from her own home by ICE agents on May 18.
“Karla is a [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] recipient with legal status in this country who is a beloved member of our community,” the congresswoman said. “Karla must be released immediately, and ICE must stop terrorizing our communities.”
President Barack Obama established the DACA program through an executive order in 2012 to provide certain individuals who entered the United States as minors with protection from deportation and work authorization. The protection must be renewed every two years. DACA, however, does not provide permanent legal status or citizenship.
NTD reached out to ICE seeking comment Tuesday and was told that the agency was preparing a statement, but a response was not received by publication.
Veronica Ortiz, Toledo’s mother, joined a group of protestors outside the ICE facility to demand her release.
Ortiz also told local media that she and her daughter arrived in the United States from Mexico when Toledo was just a year old. She argued that her daughter is a valuable member of the community and worked in nonprofit foundations to help families pay their bills and get groceries.
Local groups, including the Party of Socialism and Liberation, described Toledo as an “anti-ICE activist” who was wrongfully arrested.
The group shared a video of its protest outside the ICE Regional Field Office in Tucson, urging federal officials to release her from custody.
President Donald Trump launched an aggressive, nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration shortly after entering office for his second term. Critics have argued that the Trump administration has targeted people without due process, while federal immigration officials have argued that efforts to curb illegal immigration make the country safer.