Caught on cam: After ICE detention, woman released, returns to Triangle family in time for Christmas
Welcome back
How are you guys doing Yeah uh do you guys
wanna step a little closer maybe just so we can
chat with you We got we got we got ABC
I think all all the big ones yeah we're all
here
Yeah could you step out this way too ma'am 15
minutes
Yeah there you go
Yeah
Um it's a lot right now
I know I know
Welcome home
How was how was your flight home Good
I'm so so happy to come back to home your
family and I don't know why you say right now
but thank you for everything and and all the people
Thank you thank you so much
That's all
I ain't no saying
She's emotional
I mean how does it feel to have her back
home Oh man it's it it's a blessing
Um I sit there
I I I flew into Georgia Saturday
I sit there all day Saturday in the parking lot
of that jail
Um I would never go back to that town and
uh you know and it was just um when I
sit there and watched her walk out the gate last
night about 8:30 um you know I got emotional and
um I teared up and
They said no videos
You can't tape her no to hell with them what
lock me up
So of course I got a video of her coming
out the gate and I'm glad to have her home
you know
I told her aunt I said um I'm not gonna
leave Georgia until I until I have her and um
I brought her home
So it's a it's a a true uh Christmas miracle
in my opinion and um I'm glad she's home
When did you learn that you were gonna be released
from detainment Um When did you find out that you
were going to be let go from custody I don't
know much
I don't know
When when did they tell you you're going to be
released last night Uh when they say they say in
the afternoon and he he told me they called me
at 55 o'clock and I wait for 22 hours right
there
That they told her
Told her at 5 but then they didn't release her
till about 8:30 so we sat there the whole time
uh and um I you know I personally want to
thank Ashley Lively and Lively Law Firm for representing her
Um I wanna thank um Jacqueline um Morello for um
for she was an attorney for um uh that's represented
her for for uh her asylum case for a long
time
She was there in um Georgia too so
Yeah well what does this Christmas mean to you How
how excited are you to spend Christmas with your family
Yeah it's so so happy
I'm so so happy to come back
Yes we were family little
That's I don't know what you say right now
It's an emotion for me um it's uh one more
um really hard to stay right there but that's everything
I say is I so happy
I come back home
What's been going through your mind over the last month
Uh well I every day say I stay here more
for more time um where I when I come back
home and that's that's easy for me
I stay right there but
I say hey home that's that's happening for me
Were you aware of all the support and the rallies
happening here to try and bring attention to your case
Um yes
What was kind of going through your mind when when
your family would tell you of these rallies of people
trying to get together and and get your release Um
they told me but How how did you how did
you feel when you know Brian told you hey we're
we're holding a rally in Wendale
We got Congresswoman Ross coming from Washington
We got a GoFundMe page
How did you feel about that I feel good for
um my boyfriend tell me everyone is say a free
Fatima um and I was so happy for that
Um I say thank you for all for everything that
you do for me
Thank you
How excited are you to see your boyfriend uh
I say I love you
Because he stayed with me every time and that's
So happy for me
I love you
He'll see her she will see him within the next
45 minutes because I'm gonna take her
I'm gonna take her to him right now you know
That's so exciting
That's so exciting
Much different than the last month that you spent
It's been a big change big changes
What's it like inside there What was it like Um
It's like I don't know how to explain right now
but it's for me it's difficult for the other woman
to stay right there it's difficult too because I say
we a lot of women's right there
Yeah
I don't know
How how do you kind of you know balance the
the excitement of being home Christmas and all this knowing
that this isn't over that you guys still have a
long road ahead Um he's saying how how do you
how do you take into what's going on right now
knowing that you still have to fight for your citizenship
you know tomorrow or the next day with ICE and
the government How do you feel about that That's what
he's asking
Um I feel right now I feel good
But I don't know more um days um I try
Come back and stay like the other days
I know she thanked God
I do know that she she thanks God and she
knows it's gonna be a huge fight ahead but um
but we're the family's sticking behind her and um and
we're not giving up you know one day she'll be
a United States citizen and um I think she deserves
a chance at um the freedom just like you and
I have and um and she's gonna get it you
know so she's a she's a good she's a good
kid and I'm glad she's home
What was what was your reaction when you found out
last night that this this day was finally here Um
well I I knew uh we you know I knew
Friday that her her um her uh removal proceedings were
terminated you know um Ashley called me that was her
attorney of record called me and said it so uh
we decided I was gonna fly down immediately um when
I when she did get out last night I was
just the whole huge weight lifted off my shoulders you
know um
And but I know it's coming you know I mean
I know she's still got she's still got to get
approved citizenship and that's not easy
It takes decades to um public doesn't know it's not
something that happens overnight unfortunately um and I do wanna
say this you know they they they listed her as
a criminal
You know um in here in the country illegally but
you know she walked across the checkpoint freely as a
kid and knocked on the front door and said hey
I'm I'm so and so I'm 14 I I need
safe haven
So in my opinion that's not someone entering into your
home
Legally that's knocking on the door and you're allowing them
in
So I think Congress needs to change that definition of
illegal entry because she asked for safe haven
She was given it for her adjudication process and unfortunately
she was detained because of that and I think that
Congress needs to change the wording of that
Yes
What do you think moved the needle the most I
know Congresswoman Ross was involved
You had the rallies you had all this media attention
What moved and you had a lawsuit
What moved the needle to get her to get her
free Yeah I I think the public opinion you know
um that's that's what it takes to to make social
change um and um it's just it's the right thing
to do you know um and I believe it was
bound to happen
I I hate that it took 30 days for this
young lady to stay detained
She missed Thanksgiving
Um but I'm glad and I'm I'm grateful that she's
home
She will be home for her family for Christmas and
New Year's and um but I think it was just
you know the media attention of course um and you
know just the public opinion and it's the right thing
to do you know um she doesn't deserve to be
detained or locked up
She deserves her chance to become a US citizen and
I hope that she will get her day in court
eventually for that guys
And what do you want others to take away from
Clinton's case Um that not everybody who doesn't look like
a gringo is illegal um just because she she looks
like she's Latino Latino and she is doesn't mean that
she doesn't deserve to be here um and she shouldn't
be racially profiled for that
Um I think everyone should be given an opportunity to
uh to have their day in court and to live
life freely in the United States
That's what I want the world to take away from
Feliz Navidad Feliz Navidad gives no meaning to home for
the holidays for sure
It's a blessing
It's a blessing
I want to thank the media um and um for
for supporting her for reporting her
And um you know just just uh you pray for
her and let her relax with her family over Christmas
and um the fight's not over guys we appreciate it
for ABC CBS and WREO
There you go yeah thank you guys very much and
Univision's out here too as well
I think you yeah I believe so yeah right here
How you doing How you doing But anyway thanks guys