Help Prevent Maria Elizondo's Deportation
Donation protected
UPDATE:
We have reached our goal of $15,215. The last donor has offered to cover the remaining amount, giving Maria the chance to be granted a full pardon within ONE DAY of launching this GoFundMe page. A huge thank you to all who have donated.
Photograph: Maria (second from the left) and family.
Maria Elizondo appeared before the Minnesota Board of Pardons on Tuesday, December 15, seeking a pardon from an eight-year-old conviction for wrongfully obtaining benefits and identity theft, both crimes of poverty. The Board heard Maria’s case and indicated they would grant her pardon once the restitution is paid. Maria was ordered to pay $24,965 in restitution. To date, she has only been able to pay $9,750.68. Now, the only thing standing in the way of her safety from deportation is an outstanding amount of $15,214.32 that she owes in restitution to the State.
Maria's Story:
Maria lives in Minnesota with her husband, daughter, four of seven children, and fourteen grandchildren. She is very close with all of her family. In 2009, Maria’s financial situation was dire. She was unable to feed her children and at risk of losing her home. Her son, whom she relied on for financial support, joined the Army and was deployed overseas. She applied for welfare benefits to feed her children and avoid losing her home, but she failed to disclose that she had employment income from work she was performing under an assumed name. She was convicted in 2012 of wrongfully obtaining benefits. Additionally, because she was working under an assumed name, she was also convicted of identity theft.
Maria now seeks a pardon as these convictions put her at risk of deportation. She accepts full responsibility for her actions, knows her conduct was wrongful, and now seeks forgiveness.
Three officials—the Governor, the Attorney General, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court—had to agree unanimously if she was to get a pardon. Two of the three supported an immediate pardon but the third, Chief Justice Gildea, insisted that restitution had to be completely paid first. At the pardon hearing, her son offered to give everything he had, but even that would not be enough—and we should not impoverish a soldier as a condition of mercy for his mother. Maria's son is a true American hero. He has served three tours of duty with the military.
With a pardon, Maria will be allowed to apply for cancellation of removal and other immigration relief that her convictions currently bar her from requesting. If she does not receive this pardon, Maria will likely be ripped from her family, and from the country she has lived in for more than 40 years, to be deported to Mexico. This tragic event could occur while Maria’s son is serving his country away from home, compounding the family’s hardships and leaving the family in a desperate situation.
Without this crowdfunding platform, paying the restitution will drain her family’s savings, and she may not be able to pay the restitution in time to avoid deportation. For a more detailed account of her story, you can read her pardon application at the link at the bottom of this page.
Please consider helping the Elizondo family in their time of need.
***All money received will be directly deposited to a trust fund and paid to the state.
A link to her application materials can be found here: https://mn.gov/doc/about/pardon-board/next-meeting/
We have reached our goal of $15,215. The last donor has offered to cover the remaining amount, giving Maria the chance to be granted a full pardon within ONE DAY of launching this GoFundMe page. A huge thank you to all who have donated.
Photograph: Maria (second from the left) and family.
Maria Elizondo appeared before the Minnesota Board of Pardons on Tuesday, December 15, seeking a pardon from an eight-year-old conviction for wrongfully obtaining benefits and identity theft, both crimes of poverty. The Board heard Maria’s case and indicated they would grant her pardon once the restitution is paid. Maria was ordered to pay $24,965 in restitution. To date, she has only been able to pay $9,750.68. Now, the only thing standing in the way of her safety from deportation is an outstanding amount of $15,214.32 that she owes in restitution to the State.
Maria's Story:
Maria lives in Minnesota with her husband, daughter, four of seven children, and fourteen grandchildren. She is very close with all of her family. In 2009, Maria’s financial situation was dire. She was unable to feed her children and at risk of losing her home. Her son, whom she relied on for financial support, joined the Army and was deployed overseas. She applied for welfare benefits to feed her children and avoid losing her home, but she failed to disclose that she had employment income from work she was performing under an assumed name. She was convicted in 2012 of wrongfully obtaining benefits. Additionally, because she was working under an assumed name, she was also convicted of identity theft.
Maria now seeks a pardon as these convictions put her at risk of deportation. She accepts full responsibility for her actions, knows her conduct was wrongful, and now seeks forgiveness.
Three officials—the Governor, the Attorney General, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court—had to agree unanimously if she was to get a pardon. Two of the three supported an immediate pardon but the third, Chief Justice Gildea, insisted that restitution had to be completely paid first. At the pardon hearing, her son offered to give everything he had, but even that would not be enough—and we should not impoverish a soldier as a condition of mercy for his mother. Maria's son is a true American hero. He has served three tours of duty with the military.
With a pardon, Maria will be allowed to apply for cancellation of removal and other immigration relief that her convictions currently bar her from requesting. If she does not receive this pardon, Maria will likely be ripped from her family, and from the country she has lived in for more than 40 years, to be deported to Mexico. This tragic event could occur while Maria’s son is serving his country away from home, compounding the family’s hardships and leaving the family in a desperate situation.
Without this crowdfunding platform, paying the restitution will drain her family’s savings, and she may not be able to pay the restitution in time to avoid deportation. For a more detailed account of her story, you can read her pardon application at the link at the bottom of this page.
Please consider helping the Elizondo family in their time of need.
***All money received will be directly deposited to a trust fund and paid to the state.
A link to her application materials can be found here: https://mn.gov/doc/about/pardon-board/next-meeting/
Fundraising team: Federal Commutations Clinic (3)
University of St. Thomas School of Law Federal Commutations Clinic
Organizer
St. Paul, MN
Nico Ratkowski
Beneficiary
Andrea Meitler
Team member
Inspired to help? Start a fundraiser for someone you know
