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5d ago

SIJ-Protected Student Awaits Deportation at Louisiana ICE Facility

Community protests have swelled on campus following her transfer to the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center

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(L): A photo of Sara Lizeth Lopez Garcia from the GoFundMe page set up on her behalf. (R): The South Louisiana ICE Processing Center is seen in this aerial photo in Basile, La., Tuesday, April 8, 2025.

Overview

  • Sara Lopez Garcia remains held at the GEO Group–operated South Louisiana ICE Processing Center awaiting an immigration hearing after agreeing to self-deport in June.
  • The 20-year-old interior design major holds Special Immigrant Juvenile status and has no criminal history yet faces likely deportation under President Trump’s expanded enforcement.
  • Over $21,000 has been raised through GoFundMe for her legal defense as Suffolk County Community College faculty and students stage protests and vocal objections on campus.
  • Her fiancé postponed their August 7 wedding amid uncertainty over her detention and the looming deportation decision.
  • Her case has prompted concern at Suffolk County Community College, where nearly 40 percent of students identify as Latino, about the vulnerability of documented immigrants to ICE arrests.