By admin TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Local activists, lawyers and state officials gathered in downtown Tucson early Tuesday, Aug. 4, to address what they describe as a growing threat to DACA recipients in southern Arizona.
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The news conference came as at least two Tucson-area Dreamers face active deportation proceedings.
Tucson man placed in deportation proceedings after green card denial
Roberto Navarro, 24, grew up in Tucson, attends the University of Arizona and recently married a U.S. citizen.
After his wife’s citizenship made him eligible, Navarro applied for a green card through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. His application was denied once, and when he reapplied, he was placed into deportation proceedings and now faces removal to Mexico.
“I am undocumented. So when I graduate, I can’t work anywhere,” Navarro said.
Navarro applied for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2021 but was never approved after courts struck down the program shortly after his application. His attorney said he has no criminal record and has been pursuing legal citizenship for years.
“I don’t know Mexico. My family, my people I love are here in the United States. It’s where I grew up, I’ve been here for 20 years, and it’s all I know; I don’t know anywhere else,” Navarro said.
Other Tucson Dreamers also affected
Navarro said his case is not isolated. He pointed to Karla Toledo, a Tucson woman with DACA status who was detained by ICE agents several months ago, and Myndy Valencia-Sanchez, a DACA recipient since 2012 whose immigration case was recently reopened.
“I want people to know that, like Karla, she’s not the only one being affected by this administration and what they’re doing,” Navarro said.
Immigration reform group cites legal limits of DACA
Art Del Cueto, with the Federation for American Immigration Reform and a retired Border Patrol agent, said DACA does not confer permanent legal status and that recipients can still be subject to deportation.
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“It’s kind of like a gray area where you really don’t have a status, so you can still be, you know, deported, there’s still issues if you get involved in something that’s wrongful, you can be deported,” Del Cueto said.
Del Cueto said there are multiple reasons an application may be denied, including unlawful entry into the country.
“If you’ve committed some type of crime, or you’ve committed something different that raises red flags, that could be an issue on why you’re not being approved,” Del Cueto said.
Tucson leaders push for clearer citizenship pathway
Tucson officials said at the press conference that ICE agents are not welcome in southern Arizona and expressed support for a clearer pathway to citizenship for Dreamers.
In a statement provided to 13 News, ICE said DACA does not automatically protect recipients from deportation and that since January of last year, 90% of DACA recipients arrested by ICE were charged with or convicted of a crime in the U.S.
Navarro said he is speaking out on behalf of those who cannot.
“I’m here to stand for those people that cannot stand or cannot be here standing with me right now, but I just want to say that you’re not alone, and we’ll be all here together,” Navarro said.
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