Fairfield Mexican woman moved from Butler County Jail

Maribel Trujillo Diaz, the Fairfield Mexican mother of four who faces deportation, was transported early Friday morning to the Morrow County Correctional Facility, a location from which detainees are flown back to Mexico, according to the pastor of a Hamilton church she attends.

“At 5 a.m. this morning, they moved Maribel from Butler County Jail to the Morrow County Jail, which is up near Columbus,” said Father Mike Pucke of St. Julie Billiart. “The reason for that is that’s the jail from which they put people on airplanes from Columbus.”

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“We understand that they have a deportation date for next Tuesday, but we still have a few outside legal chances,” Pucke told this news outlet.

Her non-profit lawyer is seeking amnesty because she said her brother and father have been kidnapped by drug cartels in Mexico.

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Trujillo Diaz, who goes simply with the last name Trujillo, was granted a year-long work permit in July was detained Wednesday by federal immigration agents near her Fairfield home.

After churches wrote letters on her behalf, Trujillo was granted a year-long work permit that lasts until this July, Pucke said.

Nick Hensler, a Hamilton resident, called this media outlet to say he generally supports President Donald Trump, who promised during his campaign to deport millions of Mexicans who are here illegally. But Trujillo is not the type of person who should be deported, he said.

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“I just think that’s horrible, and I just hope that something will be done about it, to keep her here,” Hensler said. “I’m for what Trump’s doing, all in all, but there are certain cases like this where there are going to have to be exceptions made.”

Trujillo, who has four children between the ages of 3 and 14, has lived here since 2002.

“As long as that lady has lived here, and has a family, and has never caused a problem in this country, I think that if we would send her back to Mexico, that would be a great injustice,” Hensler said. “Now, there are people here who should be sent back.”

“But we’re going to have to go over some of these cases individually, and one like this one, and just use common sense,” he said.

Trujillo applied for asylum after the Koch Foods raid. This February, she was given a global positioning system ankle bracelet during a required six-month appointment with immigration officials, not long after President Donald Trump took office. She also was told to again meet with agents in Columbus a month later, Pucke said.

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In March, agents told her to “come back in April with essentially a ticket” back to Mexico, he said.

Trujillo did obtain airline tickets, g00d for later this month, for her and her youngest daughter, but she and her lawyer did not mention them to the agents on Monday because they didn’t ask about them, according to Pucke.

Her husband, Gustavo Gonzalez, was to remain here with their three oldest children, Pucke said. Two of the children have medical issues, according to Dayton-based Kathleen Kersh of the non-profit Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE), who represents Trujillo.

Among Butler County Catholic churches that have advocated for Trujillo with the government and followed her case are St. Peter in Chains, St. Joseph’s, St. Maximillian Kolbe and St. Julie Billiart, Pucke said.

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