ICE Director, Rebecca Adducci, Continues to Target Cornejo Family; School and Supporters Vow to Keep Fighting the Deportation
Today, local Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director, Rebecca Adducci, granted a temporary reprieve for Maria Esmeralda Cornejo—a 14 year Columbus, Ohio resident and mother of three U.S. citizen children under the age of 10. Adducci has reset Esmeralda’s deportation date for June 30th.
Said Julie Nemecek, Esmeralda’s attorney:
This is a welcome momentary sigh of relief but certainly falls short of the real relief Esmeralda deserves. As we reminded ICE today, it’s not just Esmeralda that they’re going after. They’re also going after her three girls who are at the top of their classes in school. Moreover, it’s outrageous to think that ICE would target a model mother like Esmeralda right in the midst of their department’s own deportation review. ICE can and should use their existing prosecutorial discretion policy to grant Esmeralda and her daughters relief and end the nightmare once and for all.
Today, the Columbus community and administrators from Esmeralda’s daughters’ school, demonstrated their support for this beloved family and called on ICE to stop with the senseless deportations.
As this Ohio family continues to fight to stay in the United States, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson is reviewing current deportation processes to examine ways to enforce current law in a more “humane” way. Given the fact that Esmeralda has no meaningful criminal record and has lived in the United States for 14 years, she’d likely benefit from the outcome of this review. Moreover, Esmeralda would likely qualify for citizenship under the Senate immigration bill supported by the Obama Administration.
Added Nemecek:
If the Obama Administration is serious about improving their egregious and haphazard deportation record, then they should start by offering discretion to Esmeralda and by association, her children.
