Audio Clip
'Dream 30' Member Deported To Mexico
Most of the so-called "Dream 30" group who were arrested at a Texas border crossing last month have been released. One member was deported back into Mexico.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported 23-year-old Rocio Hernandez Perez on Tuesday morning. Hernandez-Perez and the "Dream 30" were brought to the U.S. as children but went back to Mexico for various reasons, missing President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals program.
On Sept. 30, in a organized effort to protest on-going deportations, they crossed the Laredo, Texas, port of entry to return and were detained. Many are asking for asylum, claiming fears for their safety in Mexico.
Immigration Attorney Dave Bennion says Hernandez-Perez’s case was not that much different than the others.
“My suspicion is that in Washington D.C. the instructions came down to the asylum office ‘you need to deny a certain number of these cases' and hers was one of those," Bennion said. He added that's not something he can prove.
Also on Tuesday, 11 additional detainees were released into the U.S. They are now awaiting immigration court dates.
A similar group of nine immigrants crossed the border into Arizona in July.