A Goleta family is looking for help from President Trump to get their grandmother back in the United States.
Juana Flores is the mother of 10 children and was in the country illegally for 30 years before voluntarily leaving the U.S. once U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) denied her request for stay of removal in 2019.
Flores did not appear on ICE’s radar until she visited her sick mother in Mexico and then returned to the U.S., according to her attorney.
The Flores family is now pleading for a presidential pardon after almost two years of legal appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and to ICE.
Flores's case reached Congress last year, resulting in the “Protect Patriot Parents Act.” The bill, introduced by U.S. Representative (D) Salud Carbajal, would allow lawful status for Juana Flores and thousands of other Armed Services family members.
The bill has not yet made it to the president's desk.
Flores is hoping to return to the U.S. in time to see her active-duty son before he deploys to the Middle East.
Previous coverage:
Goleta woman loses deportation appeal, family prepares to say goodbye
ICE still reviewing case of Goleta grandmother facing deportation
Family prepares to say goodbye to grandma before she surrenders to ICE
