ICE coming for Arizona DACA recipient — again

Shelly Burgoyne

Submitted photo/VetsFWD

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OPINION — When Vets Forward members stood on the steps of the immigration court for Karla Toledo’s first hearing, we looked into the television cameras and delivered a grim warning: United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement would come for her again.

We took no joy in being right.

This week, ICE proved our worst fears true by refiling deportation proceedings against Karla, a 31-year-old Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient and long-time Tucson resident. She was initially detained May 18 by ICE agents.

Arizona veterans are forced to ask a simple, painful question: Haven’t they terrorized Karla enough?

As military veterans, we swore an oath to protect our neighbors and defend the ideals of safety, fairness and justice.

What is happening to Karla Toledo represents none of that.

In May, ICE agents arrived at her Flowing Wells-neighborhood home, illegally forcing their way inside without a judicial warrant, to violently haul her away from her family.

She was thrown into the Eloy Detention Center — to be left behind.

Her removal case was dismissed early this month, according to her legal team, but ICE has now chosen to weaponize a legal loophole — the dismissal was “without prejudice,” meaning it could be refiled — to immediately drag her back into the nightmare.

Vets Forward firmly condemns the deportation of DACA recipients. Karla has lived her life under the rules of a federal program designed to offer protection to those who grew up in the United States. Her current legal DACA status is expiring next month, and her renewal application is sitting in bureaucratic limbo. 

This relentless and gang-like harassment does not make Tucson safer. It does not honor the values we wore the uniform to defend. It only breeds fear and it is lazy law enforcement void of honor. 

Our federal agencies should protect people, not terrorize them. ICE must permanently drop the case against Karla Toledo, and our lawmakers must finally deliver the permanent protections our DACA neighbors deserve.

Vets Forward stood with Karla at her first hearing, and we will continue to stand with her.

Our community is stronger when we protect each other.

Former U.S. Army officer and Operation Iraqi Freedom I and III combat veteran Shelly Burgoyne is Southern Arizona director for VetsFWD, a nonprofit grassroots advocacy group. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.