DACA Recipient Deported After Green Card Interview, Sparking Outcry
TIJUANA, Mexico – Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez, a California resident for 27 years and a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protection, was deported to Tijuana, Mexico, just one day after an interview for legal permanent residency, a green card. The case has ignited criticism of the Department of Homeland Security and renewed calls for congressional action to protect “Dreamers.”
Estrada Juarez, 42, arrived at the John E. Moss Federal Building in Sacramento on February 18 with her 22-year-old U.S. citizen daughter, Damaris Bello, for the interview. According to immigration reform advocacy group FWD.us, immigration agents took Estrada Juarez’s fingerprints and pressured her to sign a deportation order. When she refused, an officer allegedly forced her to apply her fingerprint to the document.
“I did everything I could to build a stable life and give my daughter the opportunities that I never had,” Estrada Juarez said during a call with reporters from Mexico on Thursday. “But about two weeks ago, everything changed. I was wrongfully deported. In a single moment, nearly 30 years of my life were taken away from me — my home, my work, my community.”
The deportation is a stark departure from previous administrations and years of bipartisan support for DACA recipients, who must pass background checks and meet certain educational or work requirements to qualify for the program. Established in 2012, DACA shields eligible immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from deportation and allows them to work legally.
Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) have condemned the deportation and are urging the Department of Homeland Security to allow Estrada Juarez to return to the U.S. Padilla met with Estrada Juarez’s daughter this week.
“DACA recipients did everything right and followed all the instructions laid out in the program,” Padilla said. “They took the United States government at its word, and they’ve kept their end of the deal. But now we know that Donald Trump and Kristi Noem are breaking the government’s promise.”
The case has also raised questions about conflicting data provided by Homeland Security to members of Congress regarding the number of DACA recipients detained and deported. Representative Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) pointed to discrepancies in letters from former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was fired Thursday. One letter indicated 270 DACA recipients were arrested between January and September 2025, while another, covering a slightly different timeframe, reported 261 arrests and 86 deportations.
Noem, in her letters, maintained that DACA status does not confer lawful status.
As of June 2025, over 515,000 individuals were enrolled in DACA in the U.S., with California hosting the largest population at 144,000, according to federal data.
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, Durbin questioned Noem about the deportations. Noem stated she would look into Estrada Juarez’s case but offered no immediate explanation.
Estrada Juarez stated she is seeking to return to the U.S. and reunite with her daughter. “I’m not asking for a special treatment,” she said. “I’m asking for what is right. My deportation was wrong, and my family should not have to be torn apart. I just want to change to go home and hold my daughter again.”
The Sacramento Bee first reported Estrada Juarez’s story.
