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Stamford Mother's Stay Of Deportation Denied — But She's Not Leaving

STAMFORD, Conn. — A stay of deportation was denied Monday for a Stamford woman with two daughters — one of whom needs constant care for diabetes — Miriam Martinez Lemus says she does not plan to leave. 

Miriam Martinez-Lemus, a Stamford resident who is facing deportation to Guatemala, with her husband, Raphael Benavides, and their daughters.

Miriam Martinez-Lemus, a Stamford resident who is facing deportation to Guatemala, with her husband, Raphael Benavides, and their daughters.

Photo Credit: Facebook

The next step is uncertain after U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement ruled that it would not grant Lemus another stay of her deportation – stays it had been granting to her since 2012. 

Even though she had been expected to be on a plane to her native Guatemala at 3 p.m. Monday, her attorney told the Hartford Courant that she would not leave the country as ordered.

Lawyer Glenn Formica said that Lemus, 52, is wearing an ankle bracelet, and if ICE want to arrest her, “you know where she is,” the Hartford Courant reported.

Related story: Stamford Mom Of Ill Child Faces Deadline For Deportation To Guatemala 

Lemus came the U.S. at age 27 to escape political unrest and civil war in Guatemala.

She now has two children, ages 10 and 12, one of whom has juvenile Type 1 diabetes and who needs constant medical attention and care. Both are U.S. citizens and attend public school in Stamford.

“Given that this mother and member of our community entered our country legally claiming political asylum, and that she is now faced with deportation after a half-decade of being granted stays, it’s clear that America’s immigration policy is broken and is wielded in an arbitrary and unfair manner,” said State Sen. Carlo Leone (D-Stamford). “It’s cruel, and I urge ICE to reconsider its decision to deport Miriam, especially since her children will remain here in the United States.”

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal also blasted the decision by ICE. “I am working with Miriam Martinez’s attorney to fight this cruel and irrational deportation. Deporting Miriam will rip apart her family, needlessly leaving a child with serious medical needs without her mother. I urge the Trump Administration not to inflict this needless pain and allow Miriam to remain here with her family where she belongs. This latest decision is yet another symptom of an immigration system that has lost all reason and rationality.”

Her supporters have started a MoveOn.org petition calling for the deportation to be stopped.

Click here for the story at the Hartford Courant.

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