In a collective bid to halt the deportation of an Arizona mother and business owner, state politicians have joined forces to challenge the Trump administration. Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, alongside Representative Greg Stanton, Senator Ruben Gallego, and Representative Yassamin Ansari, called on President Donald Trump and top officials to exert their authority to prevent the removal of Kelly Yu, who has been detained by ICE for several months.
According to a statement from Kelly's office, the lawmakers visited the Eloy Detention Center where Yu is being held and detailed her contributions to the community as a restaurant owner employing American citizens, and her adherence to U.S. immigration laws. "She has no criminal history and has complied with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including routine check-ins while under supervision," the lawmakers noted.
Yu's detention was described as a call for discretionary action, given her family ties to American citizens and the life she has built over two decades in the United States. Despite her compliance with ICE regulations and her role as a job creator in her community, Yu faces deportation. "Kelly's detention deserves the use of discretion by this administration. As the immediate family member of two Americans, Kelly has a legal path to remain in the United States, and she has demonstrated for over twenty years that she will comply with ICE supervision while her application is reviewed," explained Kelly and his colleagues. They argue that her removal would not serve the country’s interests, as per Senator Kelly's office.
Stressing that President Trump's goal to focus on dangerous criminals in immigration enforcement is something they can rally behind, the officials state that this case does not fit the profile. "But that is not what is happening in this case," they stated on Senator Kelly's office, pointing out the gap between the administration's expressed goals and the reality of Yu's situation. Yu escaped a repressive regime as a teenager and now may face separation from her family and a return to a country she left behind under harrowing circumstances.
