ICE says Maria Villanueva Caballero illegally entered the country six times in the last 25 years. Lawmakers are calling for her release from ICE custody. (GV Wire Composite)
- ICE says Maria Villanueva Caballero entered the U.S. illegally six times.
- She was detained Oct. 8 at a Fresno immigration appointment.
- Lawmakers including Esmeralda Soria, Adam Gray, Anna Caballero, and Jim Costa called her detention “a betrayal of trust.”
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Immigration officials told GV Wire that Maria Villanueva Caballero, whom several Central Valley lawmakers are seeking to release from ICE custody, has illegally entered the United States six times over the past 25 years.
On Friday, Oct. 17, at the federal courthouse in downtown Fresno, dozens gathered to support Maria Villanueva Caballero, a Firebaugh mother and plant worker, being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities.
She was detained while attending a meeting to seek legal status at ICE’s downtown Fresno office on Oct. 8.
“Maria Villanueva Caballero is an illegal alien who has shown complete disregard for federal law,” ICE said in a statement. “Despite being voluntarily removed five times, she has continued to violate our nation’s immigration laws, demonstrating a blatant disregard for the rule of law. She currently has no legal status that allows her to remain in the country and will remain in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings.”
Caballero is being held at a detention facility in California City.
Lawmakers Advocate for Caballero’s Release
Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria, D-Fresno; state Sen. Anna Caballero, D-Merced (no relation to the woman in custody); and U.S. Reps. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, and Adam Gray, D-Merced, spoke on Caballero’s behalf.
Their remarks called Caballero’s detention “a betrayal of trust,” “un-American,” and an “outrage.” They called for federal immigration reform.
None of the lawmakers mentioned she allegedly entered the country illegally six times.
When asked by GV Wire whether Caballero had entered the country illegally around 2000, Soria said yes. “She was trying to go through the process, so she had put in a petition to legalize her status,” Soria said.
ICE said Caballero believes she should receive special treatment. “That is not the case,” ICE said in a statement. “ICE is steadfast in its constitutionally mandated mission to enforce immigration laws, identify and remove criminal aliens, and hold accountable those who violate our laws.”
More than 7,600 people signed a Change.org petition calling for Caballero’s release.
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