Arizona DREAMer Pressured ICE To Grant One Year Stay For Undocumented Mother

Erika Andiola and Maria Arreola

ICE grants a one year stay for Andiola's mother.

By H. Nelson Goodson

December 12, 2013

Mesa, Arizona - On Thursday, Erika Andiola, of Mesa is a former Washington, D.C. staffer to U.S. Congresswoman Krysten Simena (AZ-D) and DREAMer announced that her mother, Maria Arreola, 54, was granted a one year stay. Andiola who receceived her legal work permit in November under DACA had quit her position as an outreach director with Simena's office to concentrate on effords to prevent her mother from being deported to Mexico in January. 

DREAMers who receive legal work permits from the federal government can not legally apply for driver licenses in Arizona under Governor Jan Brewer (R).

Today Andiola posted in her Facebook account that, "ICE has granted another year stay to my mom!!! Thank you so much for your support. It took for me to quit my job to be able to speak the truth about what they are doing with our families. ICE decided to give her the stay before she even had to show up on January. THIS IS THE POWER OF OUR COMMUNITY! Now let's get the President to stop deportations while congress gets their act together and pass a legislative fix!"

Andiola doesn't plan to return to work for U.S. Representative Simena anytime soon, but will continue to concentrate in the movement for immigration reform and keep families united. 

Congresswoman Simena in a released statement said, "I am pleased that ICE did the right thing and is allowing Erika's mother to stay with her family. But there are still thousands of Arizona families waiting for Congress to fix our broken immigration system. We need to pass common sense reform that keeps families together, secures our border and grows our economy."

Immigration reform organizations and activists around the nation have conceded that the U.S. House of Representatives will not passed a bill this year, with only one more day left of House business for 2013. The House will reconvene in January after it goes on recess on Friday.
Andiola is now advocating for Ardani Rosales Lemos (A#098-918-011) of Guatemala who is scheduled to be deported back to his native country where he is facing death in the hands of La Mara Salvatrucha, a notorious gang. Lemos who has a two year old son, left Guatemala and arrived in the U.S. in 2005, after he was nearly beaten to death for keeping teenagers from gangs. He asked for asylum in the U.S., but he was arrested for a minor traffic violation and remained locked up for a year at the Eloy Detention Center.
Andiola is now helping to keep Lemos in the U.S., he is facing deportation on Friday.