Judge Orders Deported DACA Recipient Back to U.S.

Overview

• Estrada Juárez, ordered returned on March 23, was allowed back into the United States within the judge’s seven-day window and reunited with her daughter.
• She was detained during a scheduled green card appointment in February and was deported to Mexico within about 24 hours.
• U.S. officials said they carried out the removal by reinstating a 1998 order, while her attorney argues that order was never final because the required supervisory sign-off box was left unchecked.
• U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins ruled the deportation a flagrant violation of her DACA protections and due process, and granted emergency relief requiring her return.
• DHS defended its actions by noting DACA does not grant legal status, as immigration advocates call the case a warning that using decades-old orders to speed removals can separate families without fair review.