The family of a popular nursing assistant at a Tell City, Indiana, senior living facility says she was apprehended by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement earlier this month and could now face deportation, even though she entered the country legally, obtained a work visa and had an application for asylum under review.
ICE records show Maria Alexandra Rodriguez, 49, is currently housed in the Grayson County (Kentucky) Jail. Her offense is listed only as “U.S. Department of Homeland Security / ICE.” She’s one of several at the jail with that designation.
Rodriguez came to the United States in 2021 after leaving Venezuela amid the political and economic turmoil sparked by the regime of President Nicolas Maduro, who has ordered the arrests of political opponents and has overseen a country beset with food shortages and abuses against women and children, Amnesty International states.
Rodriguez opposed all of that due to her “altruistic nature,” her family says. And returning to Venezuela could put her in danger.
According to messages to the Courier & Press from her brother-in-law and sister, Rodriguez went with her husband to Indianapolis on Aug. 8 for an immigration appointment. She was waiting in the parking lot when her husband reportedly came outside and told her officials wanted to speak with her, as well.
“Upon entering, they took her documents and belongings and told her she was arrested for remaining in the U.S. illegally. She stated that she had all her immigration applications in order and had proof of those documents that (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) had given her,” the statement from her family reads. “However, the ICE officer insisted (and) confused and intimidated her into signing a document, telling her that the document she was signing was to request asylum since she did not have any pending asylum applications and that the only ones who scheduled court dates for asylum courts were ICE.
“They showed her a blank screen on the system, insisting that if she did not sign immediately, she would be arrested.”
They said Rodriguez signed the document “under pressure.” Officials then handcuffed her and transported to her to Grayson County. Her family says Rodriguez entered the country on a tourist visa, obtained a work permit, and had temporary protected status while her asylum application went through the system.
The Courier & Press reached out to ICE through its official media line Wednesday morning. They sent back an automated response.
“Thank you for contacting ICE Media,” it read. “We have routed your query to the appropriate public affairs officer for handling.”
Southwest Deputy Communications Chief Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe later followed up asking for more information, but said ICE “(doesn’t) comment on presumed deportations and/or dates.”
‘The kindest soul’
Jerry Cottingham met Rodriguez at Oakwood Health Campus in Tell City, where she worked as a nursing assistant. She treated Cottingham’s wife’s mother, who was sent to the facility to recover after an operation.
“Maria treated her so well and made sure we understood everything we needed to know to help in recovery,” he said in an email to the Courier & Press, which he also sent to Indiana Senators Jim Banks and Todd Young, as well as 8th District Rep. Mark Messmer. “Maria even came to visit after my wife’s mom recovered and went home.”
That kind of generous spirit echoed through a bevy of social media comments Rodriguez’s co-workers and friends have shared over the last few days.
In a Facebook post that’s been shared more than 200 times, Oakwood registered nurse Jordan Crawford asked anyone who works with or knows Maria to write a letter to ICE “asking for reconsideration.” Rodriguez’s family plans to take each of those to their lawyer.
“She goes to EVERY immigration meeting, she has done EVERYTHING they have asked,” Crawford’s post reads. “… She has the kindest soul. She knows the residents like the back of her hand.”
The Courier & Press left multiple messages with Oakwood’s executive director, but hadn’t received a call back as of Wednesday morning.
ICE raids in Evansville and across the country
Rodriguez’s apprehension mirrors others across the country as ICE ramps up deportation efforts – even against those who strive to follow every step of the country’s complicated immigration system.
In some cases, ICE agents have waited outside immigration court hearings and arrested people as soon as they walked out, no matter whether their deportation cases have been dismissed or not. Agents in other raids often obscure their faces and roll up in unmarked vehicles.
ICE arrested more than a dozen people during an operation in Evansville on April 29, igniting a protest outside the federal courthouse. Attendees said some people who have immigrated to Evansville are scared to leave their homes, even if they came to the country legally through student visas or other means. Protesters boasted signs reading “hands off my neighbors,” “abolish ICE,” and “no human is illegal.”
In a message to the Courier & Press, Rodriguez’s family said she’s not getting the medication she needs for diabetes and hypertension at the Grayson County jail. They described her as a “punctual, responsible person … with high ethics and values.”
“Her network of friends is wide since she is a very spontaneous, extroverted person, sensitive to human and animal abuse,” the message reads. “She is helpful, kind and helps everyone without any interest in return.
“… (She) has not only been content to work to send money to her immediate family. She has gone beyond her circle of family and close friends,” it continues. “She was part of those who led a march saying, ‘We want a more just and better future and life for all.’ That is María Alexandra Rodríguez.”
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Beloved Southern Indiana nursing assistant arrested by ICE
Reporting by Jon Webb, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
