Pregnant immig happy to be back in Qns., not Guatemala
A pregnant Queens mom, after barely dodging deportation to Guatemala, shared a joyous family reunion Saturday after her unexpected homecoming from a Louisiana detention center.
A clearly emotional Alma Santiago (second from right) hugged her two kids as some 18 friends and family members welcomed the 33-year-old woman at LaGuardia Airport, with relatives clutching a homemade “Welcome Home” sign festooned with handdrawn hearts. Tears flowed in between kisses, and a video showed a balloon with the message “You’re so special” bobbing in the background.
“There’s no words to describe it, it’s just a dream come true,” said family spokeswoman Jennifer Pacheco. “We were all nervous and anxious, like someone waiting to get married or having a baby.”
Santiago was joined later Saturday by family members, including her 3-year son Angel and 11-year-old daughter Amy, for an early lunch at the Queens restaurant where she works. The family lives in Queens Village, and both her children are American citizens.
“With Alma back home, our hearts are full,” said Pacheco, who noticed her friend’s ravenous appetite after the time behind bars.
Pacheco described the three months since Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents grabbed Alma on April 12 as “the nightmare that every immigrant family fears. During this difficult time, our priority has been the well-being of her children, who have missed their mother terribly.”
Santiago, who crossed into the United States in 2004, and was hit with an order of deportation after missing a San Antonio court appearance, was busted by federal immigration agents outside Queens Family Court. She was moved to Louisiana last week as her deportation appeared imminent, but lawyers with the New York Legal Assistance Group fought successfully to keep her in the U.S.
ICE arrested at least 33 people inside or in the vicinity of the Queens courthouse in 2018.
“Alma’s case highlights how immigrants’ rights are too often violated,” said Melissa Chua, associate director of NYLAG’s immigrant protection unit. “We argued that Alma was denied due process of law because she never had a chance to seek the immigration relief we believe she is entitled to.”
According to Chua, her agency believes Santiago was fast-tracked for deportation in retaliation for fighting for “her health and that of her unborn child.”
She dodged deportation two weeks ago when a Manhattan Federal Court judge issued a last-minute stay that kept her in the U.S. When the Board of Immigration Appeals then ruled against her, ICE transferred her to Louisiana as the first step in her deportation.
Her lawyers then won a temporary restraining order to block the deportation, and the Department of Homeland Security subsequently agreed to her release and return to New York.
The pregnant woman planned to spend the weekend with her two kids before holding a Monday news conference.
“What she experienced in ICE detention was traumatic, and we ask for privacy at this time so she can focus on healing and being with her kids,” said Pacheco.