SUPPORT ROXANA ORELLANA SANTOS

Update:  Roxana released on bond, but the fight isn't over

Thanks to the amazing outpouring of support from all of you, Roxana was able to post her bond on Monday and is now finally home with her family.  The fight is far from over, however, and Roxana remains at risk of detention again in the future.  

Roxana still needs your support to keep that fight going!  After almost a month in detention, her family's financial resources are depleted and its not clear if Roxana will be able to return to work or not.  Her family needs support to pay for medical bills, groceries, their mortgage payments and other necessary expenses.

Please help support Roxana in whatever way you can during this difficult time.

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Roxana Orellana Santos was detained during her January 8th immigration check-in at the ICE field office in Baltimore and faces imminent deportation. “I plea for mercy and compassion from the American government, who hold my children's future in their hands”, said Orellana Santos about her detention. “My children deserve to grow up with me in the country they call home and where they are safe.”

Roxana is a modern-day civil rights hero, fighting against racial discrimination and pushing forward the cause of immigrant rights. In 2008, Roxana was racially profiled by two deputies from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office while sitting outside of her work eating lunch. The two officers began questioning Roxana claiming she acted suspiciously – for “eating while brown”. She was arrested by the deputies on a civil immigration warrant in violation of her Fourth Amendment Constitutional right to be free from unlawful seizure. Roxana was transferred to immigration custody and incarcerated for 35 days away from her then one-year old infant son before being released on humanitarian grounds.

Roxana fought back, with the help of LatinoJustice PRLDEF, CASA, and Nixon Peabody LLP, and won an important civil rights case against the Frederick Sheriff's Office.  The U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the officers had overstepped their authority by detaining Roxana, holding that police are not authorized to deprive someone of their liberty based solely on a civil immigration warrant.  In February 2018, a federal judge issued a certification finding that “Santos has been helpful, is being helpful, and likely will be helpful in the investigation and prosecution of her claim that she was deprived of her constitutional rights under color of law, resulting in substantial physical or mental abuse.  The court strongly urges that Santos be allowed to remain in the United States to complete the presentation and effective litigation of these claims.”  And in September 2018, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland granted Summary Judgement for Roxana, concluding that Frederick County was liable because Sheriff Jenkins, acting as a local policymaker and official, had implemented the policy that caused the unlawful seizure and arrest of Ms. Orellana Santos, handing her yet another court victory. 

Despite these legal successes, however, Roxana is still subject to deportation and has been forced to attend regular ICE check-ins for the past decade since her November 2008 release. 

Roxana came to the United States from El Salvador more than 13 years ago, fleeing violence in El Salvador and domestic violence at home. She is a mother of three U.S. citizen children, and one legal permanent resident teen son who had fled the violence in El Salvador. Roxana is a proud homeowner and has deep ties to her community. For the past ten years, Roxana has been fighting as a leader in CASA to defend the rights of all those living in the United States, regardless of their immigration status.

We are raising funds to support Roxana as she prepares for her legal fight for her right to stay with her family. Donations will also help support her husband and her four children who have been indefinitely separated from their mother. We sincerely appreciate your generosity and support.

You can also help by contacting DHS (202-732-4646) and demanding that Roxana comes home to her children. Additionally, you can sign CASA’s petition demanding Roxana’s immediate release.