She left Honduras to escape violence, but a legal misstep has her stuck in detention
Last edited Sat Mar 12, 2016, 08:21 PM - Edit history (1)
She left Honduras to escape violence, but a legal misstep has her stuck in detention
Kimberly Pineda Chavez should be eligible for asylum, but now she’s fearing deportation – and her classmates are worried that they could be next
Amanda Holpuch in New York
@holpuch
Saturday 12 March 2016 08.00 EST
As Kimberly Pineda Chavez waits in Georgia’s Irwin immigration detention center, fearing deportation at any moment, her classmates are skipping school, afraid that they too will end up in her position, swept up in immigration raids on their way to class.
Pineda Chavez, 19, entered the US as a minor to escape violence and threats in her native Honduras, which should qualify her to be eligible for asylum – but a legal misstep has stuck her in detention for more than six weeks. And because she was stopped and detained by immigration authorities on her way to high school, her detention has also paralyzed her community in the north-east suburbs of Atlanta.
“Everyone loves Kimberly, she’s a sweet young lady,” said Larry Campbell, a family friend and church elder at Corners Church of Christ. “And once you pick up one person, the feeling is you could pick up others and it just creates a lot of fear among our entire church and in our community.”
Pineda Chavez was on her way to school with her 14-year-old sister when the car they were riding in was stopped by a vehicle with flashing lights, according to her lawyer Elanie Cintron. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents questioned the driver and confirmed that the car was headed to school, then arrested Kimberly.
More:
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/mar/12/us-immigration-policy-georgia-detention-center-honduras
