The Peoria community is rallying behind Kelly Yu, owner of the Kawaii Sushi restaurant, who after living in the United States for more than 20 years now faces imminent deportation. Yu was detained by ICE on May 28 and is currently at the Eloy Detention Center, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix.
According to her husband Aldo, Yu crossed into the U.S. when she was 19 and pregnant, seeking a better life away from China's one-child policy. Despite her attempts to gain legal status, including various appeals that were all rejected, she was ordered to be removed in 2005. Her final appeal was dismissed in 2016. Yu, who has no criminal record and is the mother of a U.S. citizen daughter, employs 30 people through her restaurant. "She's a hard worker, dedicated, loveable, funny," Aldo shared with FOX 10 Phoenix.
Yu's plight has garnered bipartisan support with figures from local political groups speaking out. Lisa Everett, the GOP Chair of Legislative District 29, stated, "I do not believe she is one of the worst of the worst," emphasizing Yu's contribution to the community and seeming suitability for American life.
The impact of Yu's absence is profound in her family. "Every single day, someone asks us how she’s doing or where she is,” her husband Aldo said in a video interview from the detention center, as detailed by 12 News. Aldo's narrative of the detention paints a stark picture, saying, "As soon as we go in, a minute later, they open the doors, and then Kelly calls me and they just cuff her right in front of us. Just take her, just, just a simple goodbye. I couldn't even touch her."
While her legal appeals have been exhausted, Yu's supporters highlight her longstanding ties and contributions to the community including charitable giving such as donating meals to local homeless shelters. Yu herself, speaking from the detention center, put it plainly: “I'm a provider in our family. I'm a caretaker for my daughter, my husband, my mom. Taking me away from them is very difficult.”
