A medical worker who came to the United States as a child was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers at Boston Logan International Airport while attempting to fly home.
Maria Rosales, 32, was arrested on July 10 as she tried to return to Florida after attending a Noah Kahan concert in Boston. Rosales, a Colombian national, entered the U.S. at age four and has been protected from deportation under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
ICE stated that Rosales was arrested for overstaying her visa and remaining in the U.S. for eight years after an immigration judge ordered her removal in 2017. Her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, confirmed a removal order exists, stemming from a 2017 hearing. Pomerleau claims his client was not provided with a hearing date, time, or place, and believed her case was resolved after her release and subsequent DACA approval.
Rosales has lived in the U.S. for nearly her entire life, has held work permits, and possesses a Social Security number. At the time of her arrest, she was employed at a dermatology office that specializes in treating skin cancer patients.
She is currently being held at the ICE detention center in Burlington, Massachusetts. Lawyers have previously described conditions at the facility as "abysmal" and "unsanitary," with allegations of detainees experiencing hunger, cold, and inadequate access to showers and sanitation.
Pomerleau suggested that Logan Airport has become a frequent site for ICE arrests, noting this is the fifteenth case he has handled in the past year involving clients allegedly "ambushed" at the airport. He also mentioned the arrest of another client, 33-year-old David Ardila, at the same airport on the same day. Ardila, who traveled from Venezuela in 2017, was attempting to return to Seattle after attending a World Cup match and is being held at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility.
ICE indicated that both Rosales and Ardila overstayed their visas and remained in the U.S. illegally. The agency stated that individuals in the country illegally are being offered $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport.
A federal judge has temporarily halted Rosales' deportation and will schedule a court date in the coming weeks. It remains unclear if or when she will be released from detention.