Milwaukee teacher's aide facing deportation granted more time in the U.S.

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) --  A Milwaukee mother and teacher's aide facing deportation has been granted more time in the U.S.

After a meeting with immigration officials Friday morning, Yessenia Ruano was granted a stay. It's a win for the woman fighting to remain in the place she's called home for nearly 15 years.

When Ruano arrived downtown to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office, she didn't know whether she'd be coming back out or if she'd be detained. Despite the uncertainty, she wasn't alone. Dozens of community members, faith leaders, elected officials, and other supporters showed up in prayer and protest.

Despite having an ongoing visa application and ties to the community, Ruano recently learned she could be deported. The MPS teacher's aide and mother to U.S. born twin girls found refuge in Milwaukee as an asylum seeker after fleeing gang violence in El Salvador back in 2011.

After a few hours inside the ICE office, Ruano walked out of her meeting after being granted more time.  She says she now has some peace of mind and hope. "I have not slept for a week, and now I can go sleeping," Ruano said.

Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Executive Director at Voces de la Frontera, was among the many supporters and advocates. "There was such a tremendous show of community support and that's really what I think helped make this possible," she said.

Neumann-Ortiz says while today was a temporary win for Ruano, fear and uncertainty remain for many others.

"There's many other families that are in a similar situation where they are also making wonderful contributions and are important members of our community but are also at risk of deportation," she said.

Ruano said she's feeling grateful to be given more time to sort out her immigration status. Her lawyer says they will keep up communication with ICE on next steps.