High School Valedictorian Dodges Deportation

Posted by: the immigration lawyers at Alcock & Associates in Phoenix, Arizona

As immigration attorneys in Phoenix, Arizona, we come across a lot of cases where a client is facing unjustified deportation. The case of Florida high school student valedictorian Daniela Pelaez is right up there with some of the most sympathetic. And the news that came down this week couldn’t make us happier!

This week, Miami high school Valedictorian Daniela Pelaez was granted a two year stay of removal from the Obama Administration, halting her pending deportation from the United States, at least for a while.

Daniela and her sister were ordered removed, or deported, from the US by an immigration judge last week, but US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, issued a statement this Tuesday that said they would defer enforcement of the removal order for two years.

Daniela’s case garnered national attention the last few weeks, and even got local lawmakers, including GOP house member Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, involved in the fight to keep Daniela in the U.S.

Daniela is set to graduate North Miami High School as valedictorian, with a 6.7 GPA! She plans to matriculate to an Ivy league university and plans to study to become a surgeon. Her father is a legal permanent resident, and her brother serves in the United States Military and has naturalized to become a United States Citizen. Her mother is currently in Colombia seeking treatment for colon cancer.

The method ICE used to justify their decision to keep Daniela in the United States for the time being is prosecutorial discretion, something the immigration attorneys at Alcock & Associates have been blogging about, and successfully fighting for, since its inception. The premise behind prosecutorial discretion is to allow ICE to focus on criminals and threats to the security of the United States, rather than deporting innocent people who pose little to no threat, and consequently tearing up their families.

For more information about stays of removal, prosecutorial discretion, or just general immigration questions, please contact an immigration lawyer at Alcock & Associates, and remember, we never charge for a consultation. Call today at 602-989-5000.