Protests erupted Thursday in Arizona after Guadalupe García de Rayos, a 35-year-old wife and mother of two U.S.-born children, was deported to Mexico after a routine meeting Wednesday with immigration officials. Rayos entered the U.S. illegally with her parents at age 14 and has been required to check in biannually with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Phoenix after she was caught in 2008 using a fake Social Security number to obtain employment.
Despite Rayos' compliance with the regular meetings without incident, immigration agents arrested and deported her Wednesday, citing a policy finalized in 2013 under the Obama administration that prioritized the deportation of individuals who posed a threat or who had been charged with a felony or a series of misdemeanor crimes.
In 2013, Rayos was permitted to stay in the U.S. even after a judge issued a deportation order because she was deemed not to be a threat; her arrest happened less than a month after President Trump expanded the definition of "criminal alien" in an executive order.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
At least seven protesters were arrested trying to prevent Rayos from being deported. Catch a glimpse of the protests and hear statements from Rayos' daughter and husband below. Becca Stanek
-
Why quitting your job is so difficult in JapanUnder the Radar Reluctance to change job and rise of ‘proxy quitters’ is a reaction to Japan’s ‘rigid’ labour market – but there are signs of change
-
Gavin Newsom and Dr. Oz feud over fraud allegationsIn the Spotlight Newsom called Oz’s behavior ‘baseless and racist’
-
‘Admin night’: the TikTok trend turning paperwork into a partyThe Explainer Grab your friends and make a night of tackling the most boring tasks
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
