Grieving mother faces charges, deportation
Claremore, OK -- Conmociona a la comunidad hispana de Claremore y Tulsa la forma en la que las autoridades han menajado una investigación en donde una familia hispana estuvo involucrada en un aparatoso accidente.
Last October 26, Marcela Lizbeth Zuñiga had an automobile accident in which her youngest son lost his life. The events occurred on Highway 20 in Rogers County near Claremore.
Marcela was driving the vehicle with three people on board, when, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol report, her reckless stopping on the road caused another vehicle to hit the car, resulting in the death of one of the passengers, Zuñiga’s 17-year-old son.
For their part, the authorities dealt with the accident as case of manslaughter and began to investigate the driver. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol agency determined that Zuñiga did not have a valid driver's license at the time of the accident, so they gave notice to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), who in turn verified that the woman did not have permission to reside legally in the country. According to the authorities, sufficient elements were found to believe that the woman would flee the country, so last Saturday, December 15, they completed an arrest warrant, ICE agents arrived at the woman's home and then arrested her and took her to jail. She remains in Rogers County Jail in Claremore, charged with manslaughter, driving without a license and improperly stopping on the highway.
The tragic accident left everyone in the car injured, including Zuñiga. Her family and friends consider the accusation that she intended to flee the country unfounded, because the death of her youngest son caused a very painful time for the whole fam- ily, and coupled with this another of their children, a friend and Zuñiga herself have not even fully recovered from the accident where they suffered severe injuries from the great impact of another car crashing into them.
Should the charges against Zuñiga prevail, she could serve five years or more in prison before facing deportation to Mexico.