On Friday, March 29th, ICE closed the deportation case of Ruth Montaño, the Bakersfield mother who faced deportation following her arrest for having dogs that barked too much. ICE’s announcement that it would not seek to deport Ruth came just days after the ACLU of Southern California (ACLU/SC) and Cuentame, a Latino organization that uses social media to shine the light on social justice issues, released a short video about her case. The ACLU of Southern California applauds ICE for taking swift action to correct its mistakes, as Ruth never should have been placed in deportation proceedings in the first place.
"Had the TRUST Act been in place, Ruth never would have faced deportation over her barking dogs in the first place. We applaud ICE for doing the right thing in this case. The reality remains that most people facing deportation are quietly torn from their families without the opportunity to gain the public support that Ruth's case generated,” said staff attorney Jennie Pasquarella of the ACLU/SC. “Governor Brown must immediately champion and sign the TRUST Act, which will send a powerful message that we shouldn't deport today people who could be on the road to citizenship tomorrow."
“Given my experience, I believe that the Governor needs to take seriously the fact that police are treating Hispanics differently knowing that any arrest they make can lead to deportation,” said Ruth Montaño. “The Governor should sign the TRUST Act so that no one else has to live through what I and so many other immigrants have experienced.”
Link to video: See http://www.aclusocal.org/cuentame/
