The federal judge ordered that Lilian Calderon of Johnston remain in Massachusetts while her immigration case is pending.
Calderon was stopped by ICE after a routine immigration interview at US Citizenship and Immigration Services in Johnston in January. She has been in ICE detention in Massachusetts ever since.
Rhode Island American Civil Liberties Union executive director Steve Brown said the ACLU filed a writ of Habeas Corpus on Mrs. Calderon’s behalf Tuesday morning. Within hours, the judge had ordered a date for her hearing
“It may be that he understands the issues and recognizes the importance of holding things in abeyance while he gets to consider all the numerous legal issues that are being presented on Mrs. Calderon’s behalf,” said Brown.
Calderon was born in Guatemala and brought to the U.S. by her family at the age of three. She is married to an American citizen and has two children. Calderon says she was detained by immigration authorities after an interview to confirm her marriage to an American citizen.
She was put under a deportation order after her father was rejected for asylum. A hearing on her petition to be released from ICE custody is scheduled for February 21st. Brown says a final decision on her immigration status may not be made by that date.
