Guadalupe García de Rayos may be the very first illegal immigrant impacted by President Donald Trump's executive order deporting those convicted of a felony. In Garcia de Rayos' case it was for identity theft.
She was arrested in December 2008 in a workplace raid by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office at the Golfland Sunsplash amusement Park in Mesa. Later convicted of a felony in 2009, Garcia de Rayos was placed in county jail for three months followed by three months in immigration detention. She was then ordered to be deported in 2013, but never was because President Obama's immigration policy focused on deporting violent illegal immigrant criminals.
President Trump's new order doesn't make that exception. It goes after all illegal immigrants convicted of crimes.
Garcia de Rayos has been in the United States for 22 years. She arrived here when she was 14 and is now married and has two American born children. She was at Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters Wednesday as part of her yearly check-in with immigration officials.
ICE released this statement:
Ms. Garcia De Rayos is currently being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) based on a removal order issued by the Department of Justice's Executive Office for Immigration Review which became final in May 2013. Relevant databases indicate Ms. Garcia De Rayos has a prior felony conviction dating from March 2009 for criminal impersonation.
As many as 200 people showed up outside of ICE offices in hopes of blocking the van that would carry her to the deportation center in Eloy. Police say 'at least seven' people were arrested for blocking the van, traffic and the light rail. Their efforts ultimately failed as Garcia de Rayos was transported to Eloy around midnight.
With President Trump's executive order, the question is will Garcia de Rayos' case become the new norm?