Tucson DACA recipient released from ICE custody after Rep. Adelita Grijalva criticism

Karla Toledo, the 31-year-old DACA recipient whose arrest at her Tucson home drew sharp criticism of Immigration and Customs Enforcement from Arizona U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva, has been released from ICE custody and is thanking supporters while declining interview requests.

“When a person is detained and separated from their family, everyone in the community suffers,” Toledo said in a statement posted to social media. “It’s amazing what can be done when we come together.”

Toledo was released from the Eloy Detention Center on May 23, according to a post from Scholarships A-Z, which has been advocating on her behalf. Her family and legal team said they would not be answering questions from the press.

 

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“It’s important to take the time to process all the violence and injustice that is happening and to rest, because the fight is just beginning,” Toledo said.

Toledo’s family told the Tucson Daily Star she was brought to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 1 year old and has protection from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The family said her DACA paperwork was up to date and that she has no criminal record.

DACA, created by former President Barack Obama in 2012, shields immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children from deportation.

In her statement, Toledo urged the community to keep pressure on immigration authorities.

“Please continue sharing my story of what happened to me and the cases of other detentions,” she said. “Please don’t stop amplifying what is happening in the community.”

 

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Grijalva wants ICE to back up assault claim against DACA recipient

Grijalva, a Tucson Democrat rallying support for Toledo, said ICE has “zero credibility” after the agency accused Toledo of assaulting a federal officer during her arrest. Grijalva visited Toledo at a temporary ICE holding facility in Tucson after Toledo’s family said they were unable to locate her.

The Department of Homeland Security said that Toledo assaulted a law enforcement officer during her May 18 arrest, according to a statement issued to KVOA-TV.

In a statement, Grijalva accused ICE of smearing Toledo to deflect from scrutiny.

“ICE has zero credibility and cannot be taken at their word,” Grijalva said. “Smearing people after the fact and gaslighting the public is part of ICE’s playbook whenever they face scrutiny over their actions.”

Grijalva said the agency should release body camera footage showing the arrest and alleged officer assault.

“The fact that it took ICE nearly 48 hours to produce this carefully-worded statement — while omitting any explanation regarding the alleged warrant they referenced — raises even more questions about the agency’s credibility and transparency,” she said.

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