A women’s soccer player from Cleary University detained last month by federal officials is set to leave the state’s largest immigration detention facility as she continues to fight to stay in the United States.
U.S. Immigration Judge James Graulich granted a bond request by a lawyer representing Karliana Perdomo during a hearing Thursday, June 25.
Graulich ordered a $5,000 bond, citing Perdomo’s history of playing soccer at Cleary University, graduating high school in the state, no criminal record and ties to family who live in Michigan.
“I don’t really understand why she was picked up … she was not breaking any laws and she’s been doing her best to make the most of her time here in the United States,” said her lawyer Kevin Piecuch, executive director of the Southwest Detroit Immigration and Refugee Center, during the brief hearing.
A lawyer representing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said they opposed granting bond, but provided few details.
Perdomo’s case occurred amid a slew of bond hearings, performed online June 25; Graulich is based in Richmond, Virginia, while Perdomo appeared from a room at North Lake Processing Center, an immigration detention facility in Baldwin, Michigan.
Perdomo, 20, wore a large beige coat, crossed her arms and sat quietly throughout the proceeding. She smiled briefly when the judge mentioned her name and said thank you after he told her she was granted bond.
Perdomo’s mom, Liliana Gotopo, told The Detroit Free Press earlier this week they were hopeful bond would be granted but “we are holding tight to God’s hands,” according to a translation of a text message sent in Spanish.
Perdomo’s case has garnered substantial attention throughout metro Detroit.
In late May, federal immigration officials detained Perdomo; images shared online from the time appear to show they took her following a traffic stop. Gotopo previously told The Free Press her daughter fled their native country of Venezuela when she was 15.
Perdomo had Temporary Protected Status, but the current presidential administration revoked that option for Venezuelans in 2025. In some cases, the authorization remains in effect through this fall.
Perdomo joined the team at Cleary University after graduating high school in Detroit and earning an associate’s degree from St. Clair Community College.
Her teammates recently established a GoFundMe account to help raise money for her bond. As of Thursday, they’d raised nearly $16,000. The bond system in immigration court is different than criminal court; people accused have to provide the entire amount of the bond.
Piecuch noted his client has a pending asylum claim, previously received authorization to work in the country and has paid her taxes.
“She wants to get her college degree,” he said. “She has no place to go, other than she wants to stay here and finish her college education.”
Reach Dave Boucher at dboucher@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Cleary University soccer player granted bond, set to be released
Reporting by Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
