Tucson woman gets reprieve from order to be deported
A Tucson woman granted a reprieve from a deportation order stemming from an identity-theft case may be among a growing number of illegal immigrants being allowed to stay in the U.S. because they were brought here as children.
Marlen Moreno Peralta was granted a one-year deferred action on deportation orders this week by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
The action allows Moreno, 28, a Cholla High graduate who came to the U.S. with her family when she was 13, to work legally and pay in-state tuition for college. The action can be renewed an additional year.
Moreno’s reprieve comes just days after a leaked internal memo from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services suggested “deferred action” as a way to provide relief for Dream Act-eligible people and promote family unity.
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In explaining the decision, Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Brian Hale said in a statement that the agency uses its discretion on a case-by-case basis, and “has the authority to grant a deferral of a removal action based upon the merits of an individual’s case and a review of specific facts.”
He declined to say whether this is part of a new strategy, but said Moreno’s case illustrates the need for comprehensive immigration reform.
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