Archdiocese supports case of Fairfield woman detained by ICE

The statement further adds: “Last year, when Maribel was close to deportation, thousands of Catholic faithful and other supporters throughout Butler County and Cincinnati sent letters, pleading for her to stay. Immigration officials then responded by granting her prosecutorial discretion, considering her too low of a priority and no threat to public safety. Maribel has been reporting regularly since then to ICE, as instructed. At her check-in appointment on Monday, she was told that she could remain at home as her asylum case was further reviewed. Suddenly yesterday (April 5), ICE arrived at her brother’s house as she prepared to go to work, taking her into custody for imminent deportation without having the chance to say goodbye to all her children. This is cruel and unacceptable.”

Not everybody has sympathy for Trujillo’s plight or the fact she is a mother.

“Why does her attorney say she’s not broken the law?” asked State Rep. Candice Keller, R-Middletown. “Is she in the country illegally? Well, then, that’s a crime. If you’re in the country illegally, illegal means you’ve broken the law. That is a crime.”

The archdiocese further made the case for Trujillo: “She has no criminal history. She is a lay leader at her parish, whose members are surrounding her with prayers that she be permitted to remain with them and her family. Maribel’s children, ages 14, 12, 10 and 3, are all U.S. citizens. Her 3-year-old daughter has recurring seizures and requires the attention and care of her mother.”

Church officials added: “We fully respect the Department of Homeland Security’s duty to enforce our immigration laws, and we recognize that this is not an easy task. At the same time, it is clear that the common good cannot be served at this stage by separating this wife and mother from her family. Our community gains nothing by being left with a single-parent household when such a responsible and well respected family can be kept together. We urge that our elected and administrative officials exercise mercy for Maribel.”