Hundreds of Lynn residents, educators and city officials turned out this week in a last-ditch push to stop the deportation of Mariola Perez, a paraprofessional and trained medical interpreter many in the city say they simply cannot afford to lose. Perez fled violence in Guatemala 16 years ago and is a single mother to a 15‑year‑old U.S. citizen. At a recent appointment with federal immigration officials, she was told to return next Monday and be prepared to be detained, according to organizers. They say her case has become a flashpoint in Lynn, highlighting what supporters describe as the human cost of aggressive immigration enforcement.
According to a report from Boston.com, Perez has consistently complied with annual check‑ins at the ICE field office in Burlington since removal proceedings were initiated after a 2013 traffic stop. Advocates told the outlet she was instructed to come back on Monday for another check‑in that could end in detention. The report notes Perez is working toward a bachelor’s degree at Salem State University while holding a job as a paraeducator in Lynn Public Schools. Supporters argue that deporting her would separate her from her son, who relies on her as his primary caregiver, and remove a trusted interpreter and support figure from the school communities she serves.
Community Response
At a press conference in front of City Hall, Mayor Jared Nicholson, union leaders and faith organizations publicly urged federal immigration officials to grant Perez a reprieve, The Daily Item reported. Lynn Teachers Union President Phil O’Connor and AFT Massachusetts President Jessica Tang stood alongside Perez and described her as “deeply trusted” by students and families. Nicholson warned that deporting her would damage public safety and tear at the fabric of school communities. Several speakers said many families were too afraid, given the current immigration climate, to speak out themselves, a point organizers say shows how the threat of deportation ripples beyond a single household.
A grassroots petition launched by Lynn United for Change has drawn thousands of signatures in a short window of time. The petition, which lists 4,555 signatures at the time of publication, urges ICE and local lawmakers to halt Perez’s removal. It details her past experience fleeing persecution as an Indigenous Mayan woman and asserts that a 2013 traffic arrest, during which local police shared her information with ICE, first placed her in deportation proceedings. Advocates point to that history, along with her years of volunteer work and service in local schools, as reasons federal officials should use their discretion to keep her in the community, according to the petition text on Action Network.
Legal context
Immigration enforcement in Perez’s case runs through ICE’s Boston Field Office, which operates a check‑in location in Burlington at 1000 District Avenue. That is where Perez has met with immigration officials in previous years. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement website lists the Burlington address as the Boston Field Office’s location and identifies it as a check‑in office. Advocates say her situation illustrates how a local arrest can trigger federal removal proceedings, and how previously granted stays of removal can be pulled back when enforcement priorities change.
Organizers plan Mother's Day vigil
Organizers say they are planning a Mother’s Day vigil and rally Sunday night at Red Rock Park, with supporters then accompanying Perez to her Burlington check‑in on Monday. The event details were posted on AFT’s Mobilize page. Union members and faith leaders have vowed to continue showing up for Perez, framing their efforts as both a stand for one family and part of a larger push against what they describe as overbroad immigration enforcement. Supporters argue that a strong public turnout and sustained media coverage could help convince federal officials to exercise prosecutorial discretion or grant another stay of removal.
Behind the scenes, Perez’s backers have also pressed local government to weigh in. Mayor Nicholson and all 11 Lynn City Council members signed a letter calling on federal immigration authorities to reconsider deporting her, a united front of municipal pressure that advocates hope will resonate beyond the city. Whether ICE will shift course remains unclear, but organizers say the case has already sparked wider conversations in Lynn about how local policing intersects with immigration enforcement and the real-world stakes of deportation decisions. For now, Perez and her supporters are focused on next week’s check‑in and the rally they hope will keep her case squarely in the public eye.
