Photo Credit: LUPE
Yenniffer England, a longtime Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient and LUPE member, was driving through Donna with her brother and daughter when she was stopped by law enforcement and taken into custody. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, England was stopped for speeding. DPS says her driver’s license was suspended, and she didn’t have proof of insurance.
The incident happened on February 16. England was detained at the El Valle Detention Center in Raymondville.
England was facing deportation.
Earlier in May, a judge denied her bond at a court hearing and ordered her removed from the United States.
In a news release, LUPE said they were “deeply saddened” with the judge’s decision.
“She [England], like many others currently detained, is being deprived of human dignity and the opportunities to build a life in the country she’s lived in most of her life,” LUPE said in a statement. “What started as a routine traffic stop quickly turned into a nightmare for her family. As a DACA recipient, Yenniffer should have been protected from detention and deportation, but state police and ICE took away her freedom.”
According to LUPE, England has been a member of the organization since 2018. She’s a registered nurse’s assistant with active DACA status. The DACA program allows qualifying immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children to receive renewable work permits and protection from deportation as long as they don’t commit any crimes.
In a news release, the Mexican American Legislative Caucus described England as a frontline healthcare worker during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re talking about a nurse who serves one of the most underserved communities in our state,” said MALC Chairman State Rep. Ramón Romero, Jr. in a statement. “This is not what people had in mind when they asked for common-sense border security.”
In an additional statement, MALC Secretary State Rep. Armando ‘Mando’ said: “There is no justification for keeping Yenniffer detained. This is not a crime that warrants tearing a mother away from her children and locking her up for months.”
While DACA does not grant recipients legal status in the U.S., it’s meant to prevent them from being deported.
With LUPE’s efforts and the help of other officials and advocates, England was released on Thursday, May 21, wearing a white t-shirt bearing signatures from other detainees at the detention center.
However, England’s case is just one of the latest attacks on the DACA community. In less than a year, the Trump administration has detained more than 300 recipients, according to LUPE, with similar cases occurring in our community.
