We are raising money to support our friend and neighbor, Libia Maria Juela Bueno, with legal expenses. Libia and her family came to the US twenty years ago from Ecuador and have lived in Minnesota for the last three years. She and her husband work full time, bought a duplex in our neighborhood and are the kind of neighbors everyone wants to live next to. Last year, Libia won her court case contesting removal from the country by the government. Subsequently, the government cancelled her removal notice, and she was able to continue her pursuit of a green card. This did not stop ICE from detaining her. On January 6, 2026, Libia was pulled over by ICE at 5:30 am on her way to work at a local children’s hospital. They took her to the Whipple Center, leaving her car and possessions abandoned on the street. With only the clothes she was wearing and with her hands and feet zip tied, she was flown to Camp East Montana, a detention center in El Paso, Texas. She was detained in Texas for a total of nine days and released to find her own way home. Currently, she is required to report to the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP), forced to wear an ankle monitor and report to ISAP every two weeks. This creates much anxiety for her family and disruption to their work and life schedules. We are working with her lawyer to file a petition to remove the surveillance requirement, get the ankle monitor removed and her passport and other documents returned. Please consider helping us fund this effort.

Kristin Benson

Friend and neighbor

Minneapolis, MN