A Goleta woman will turn herself into Immigration Customs and Enforcement for a check-in in Santa Maria Wednesday, her attorney confirms to KSBY News.
Juana Maria Flores first entered the United States in 1988 without permission.
Flores’s immigration attorney, Kraig Rice, tells KSBY that her husband, 10 children and 15 grandchildren are all America citizens. Her 21-year-old son serves in the Air Force.
Rice says Flores has been checking in with ICE each year, and does not have a criminal record.
"What triggered the problem is that she went back to Mexico in 1999 to visit her sick mother," Rice said.
Rice said Flores was stopped on the way back into the U.S. and it created a technical violation.
Rice says Flores filed a stay of removal to Los Angeles ICE Tuesday morning. The stay of removal cites that Flores has an adult son with severe disabilities and needs to help care for him.
Flores had until August 1 to turn herself over to immigration. Rice says he’s hoping that ICE will review her stay of removal and be able to stay in America with her family.
Flores is a caretaker for many people in her Goleta family including her husband who has some medical conditions, according to Rice, and takes care of her 8-month-old granddaughter when her daughter goes to work.
Rice said Flores was active in her church and finally asked, "What do we solve by removing her?"
