A Mesa Airlines flight attendant has been freed from federal detention thanks to an onslaught of social media pressure.
I had prepared another post today on this topic, a very opinionated one, that I can thankfully spare you from now that she has been released. But I’m still going to speak my mind. 28-year-old Selene Saavedra Roman was born in Peru and taken illegally into the United States when she was three years old. She grew up in the United States, graduated from Texas A&M, married an Ameican, and was in the process of becoming an American citizen. Last year, she took a job with Mesa Airlines, a regional carrier that operates on behalf of American Eagle and United Express.
Although technically an illegal alien, Saavedra is protected under DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Under Trump Administration rules, she is not permitted to leave the country. Although she indicated to Mesa that she did not want to accept any international assignments (Canada and Mexico), she was assigned a trip to Mexico City. Her supervisor assured her that there would be no immigration issues and she was reluctant to reject the trip while still under probation.
That proved to be a costly mistake. Upon her return from Mexico City, she was arrested and moved to an ICE detention facility where she sat for over a month.
On Thursday, The Points Guy brought her story to light. It was picked up by the Association of Flight Attendants and word quickly spread on social media. Even Hillary Clinton tweeted her support for the flight attendant. By yesterday afternoon she had been released. She’ll face a deportation hearing next month.
My Three Takeaways
First, I am so happy she has been released. I wholeheartedly agree with Gary Leff that someone like Saavedra is not the problem with immigration in the United States. For those who think otherwise, I would also draw your attention to the following debate clip featuring Geroge H. W. Bush and Ronald Reagan:
Second, she did break the law. Not deliberatley, mind you, but leaving and attempting to return to the country as a DACA repcipent without advance parole broke the rules. Let this be a vital lesson that we should always trust, but verify. Saavedra’s mistake was listening to her employer insteading of seeking expert advice on her immigration status.
Third, how much power is in social media! One article by TPG spread into worldwide headlines and over 17,000 petition signatures to free her. She had been rotting in a privately-run prison for over a month when suddenly she was released this afternoon. Why? Social meida. For all that is wrong with social media, this time social meida was harnessed in a good way. I was proud to have signed the petition.
CONCLUSION
The saga is not over for Saavedra. She faces a deportation hearing on April 4th in which she could be removed from the country. For the love of everything decent, I hope a hardworking young woman who has known no other country but the United States of American and married an American will be allowed to stay. In fact, I hope her citizenship is quickly processed.
It is easy to make blanket statements about how people who broke the immigration laws don’t belong in the USA. But when you hear their stories and understand, at least for DACA recipients, that they are being punished for the sins of their parents, you cannot help but to pause and ponder…at least that’s how I feel.
Images: Facebook
“Technically,” there’s no such thing as an “illegal alien.”
Under U.S. law, there is. Whether you call them “illegal aliens” or “undocumented immigrants” is secondary.
True. True. True. She shouldn’t be punished.
Legalize all illegals in the USA. Get them to agree they can never become US citizens as part of this legalization but they have all the rights and responsibilities that legal residents have.
She is hot. She should sue Mesa airlines.
“Under Trump Administration rules, she is not permitted to leave the country.” – DACA was created by executive order under the Obama Administration. The executive order, created during the Obama Administration, included the rule that DACA receipeints must apply for advanced parole before leaving the country. As far as the Trump Administration is concerned, their constitutional duty is to carry out and enforce federal laws which is exactly what they did.
“Second, she did break the law. Not deliberatley, mind you, ” – How was it not deliberate? She knew the law. She broke the law. The law was enforced. The end.
Trump suspended DACA by Executive Order and was overturned by a federal judge, whose ruling was upheld by the 9th Circuit. The Supreme Court has thus far chosen not to hear the appeal. Just as Trump overturned several Obama-era Executive Orders during his early days in office, so he could have this one. But he chose to enforce it even more harshly.
She did not deliberately break the law by being taken into this country illegally when she was three years old. She did not deliberately break the law when she believed that she could come and go as a FA with the immigration status she had.
No matter how you try to spin it, the “rules” were created under the Obama administration. So therefore, the statement “Under Trump Administration rules, she was not permitted to leave the country” is not really accurate and seems to be a failed attempt to blame the scary orange man. As I said, the executive branch/Trump Administration is constitutionally obligated to enforce the law as it is written. That’s what they did.
She knew she was breaking the law. A simple search on the magic google machine will tell you that in about 5 seconds. A co-worker who is in the US under DACA actually told me this recently when our company got a job in Japan. He couldn’t go.
DACA sucks. The US immigration system sucks. This was her fault.
There is such a thing as enforcement priorities, Mike. The law is the law but, as any other entity, federal agencies has to choose its battles in an effort to optimize resources and get the best results they can with the resources available to them.
How is throwing this person ─ a fully integrated member of society with a college education, a job, married to an American, in the process of getting herself US citizenship ─ in jail / out of the country a productive enforcement priority?
This is total overkill.
Why is it that so many conservatives are merciless and mean-spirited legalists? Those who are not merciful can expect no mercy at their judgement. Mean people suck.
She broke the law knowingly. In fact she probably have lied in her employment application because airlines ask if you could work to and from each of their destinations legally.
Just because she is flight attendant doesn’t mean she doesn’t have to follow the rules like ALL of my DACA friends who deligently educate themselves and follow the rules.
Don’t blame Mesa for having to interpret what she can or cannot fly.
It’s her responsibility.
You really think she would have boarded that flight to Mexico City if she knew she was breaking the law? I think not.
Yes, I think so. Why would she go discuss with her Supervisor?
It’s her responsibility to know if she can leave the country and with the proper documents.
To be a flight attendant and cherry pick trips what she can fly and not fly supersedes seniority and not fair to other Flight Attendants.
Frankly, my DACA friends said they would never sign up to be a Flight Attendant knowing the challenges they face. Additionally, the airlines are not responsible for her when she omitted the requirement to be able to fly to all destinations. For TPG to say MESA or UNITED are not doing anything is rather unfair…
It’s interesting how you have so many DACA “friends”.
I’m impressed that TPG did something good.
She might have broken the law but until law is applied equally to republican white male you are on very loose ground. Let’s see Ivanka and Jared locked up for using private emails. Prove to us that immigration laws are not witch hunts. You hypocrites make it so easy to hate you bloody scum.
Oh dear…here we have a political scrum brought on by a west coast liberal elite that purports to be middle america. Oh dear me. No matter how Matthew tries to spin this, foreign policy is a plenary power and the judicial branch has not often interferred with executive authority. She broke the law, intent has nothing to do with the facts. Don’t break the law.
“west coast liberal elite”…
If you only knew…
I believe in mercy and grace.
“Intent has nothing to do.” Thank you for the sound legal insight, counsellor…
Non-sequitur.
Umm, that was addressed at Redrick. Intent does matter. Legally and humanely. There was no intent by Ms Saaveera Román to break the law.
(I believe I’m not the Mike you think I am…)
She has the advantage of being photogenic. A dark skinned person who is ugly and obese would probably not get such publicity.
There are other opinions besides “she’s an illegal” or “see, DACA people should be citizens and voters”. One problem is the immigration bureaucracy is far worse than the post office. They are slow with bizarre rules. Both Democrats and Republicans hacks fail to realize this. One trouble is that the immigration bureaucracy is like single payer health system, no recourse and full of red tape.
I agree that the immigration system is broken…I experienced it first-hand with my German wife.
I’m having a similar problem with my British wife. We recently moved back to the US after living in Germany for the last 2.5 years. We honestly did no research while living there and didn’t realize it took so long to process a green card application, even from an allied nation. The fact that it takes up to 13 months to process a green card application and she’s not allowed to leave the country for up to 8 months is a bit excessive. We have decided to delay the green card application by a few months as we have a few trips planned this summer. So now, she will have to leave the country in June in order to stay legal and she will stay in the UK for a few weeks before returning. When we return from Cyprus in September, then we will start her application. It might be done just in time for us to move to England for another job opportunity in 2021.
I should clarify that when I say “we moved back” that she’s never lived in the US before and has always entered on an ESTA. We got married while I was on assignment in Germany and have only been married since Oct 2016. So this is her first experience at “visiting/living” in the United States, although on a temporary basis at this point.
Spellcheck.
Enough.
She deported herself when she went to Mexico. The carrier should not have brought her back because she was not eligible for entry into the Inited Srates even though she worked for the carrier. The carrier is responsible for bringing her in and they will surely be fined. Furthermore she no longer falls under the DACA protection because she deported. Her hearing in April is for her entry for which she was inadmissible at entry. Her marriage to a US citizen is irrelevant in this situation.
Wow, the hatred all you people spew: “She deported herself,” and “her marriage to a US citizen is irrelevant in this situation.”
I’m amazed that the same people who generally preach about the sanctity of life have so little compassion for the lives of actual people. She is a human being, who has lived and grown up in the US since age 3. She is married to a US citizen, she has a family, ties, she is a productive member of her community. Yet none of that matters to you. But it does. How is she a threat to your way of life? How is she anything but an asset rather than a liability to the US in those circumstances that you try so hard to ignore? How is context irrelevant to you, when it isn’t in a court of law?
I agree. Disgusting hypocrisy. And if people knew my background and who I vote for they would not be calling me liberal. This should be an issue that unites, not divides.
Hello Mike it’s not hatred it’s existing laws that have been part of the Immigration & Nationality act for years and years. She in fact deported herself and as others have stated she didn’t have an Advance Parole to re-enter. There are laws that are followed in these situations and they won’t change because of her. The fact that she is married to a US Citizen won’t help her in this situation. She will have her Deportation hearing in April and the judge will make the decision to deport her based on existing laws it is just that simple.
Hopefully the judge will allow her to stay and become a US citizen. Which would be the right decision.
As a former Mesa Flight Attendant, and grievance rep for the union, I can tell you the pressure is real. New attendants especially get the brunt end of low staffing level pressures. Conditions and treatment of new hires is truly disgusting at Mesa. I hope they make public the conversation tape she had with crew tracking. It was a matter of time before this way of doing business blew up in their face. I hope she sues them!
Thank you Matthew – your words are very kind and much appreciated.