WASHINGTON, DC – FWD.us President Todd Schulte issued the following statement today on the request of a stay of the deportation of Alejandra Juarez. More information on Alejandra, and the community of support behind her, can be found here:

“For the last 20 years, Alejandra Juarez has made America her home. Like so many military spouses, Alejandra supported her husband when he was deployed to Iraq with the Florida National Guard, while raising two incredible U.S. citizen daughters and building a community in her local church. This week, ICE will decide if Alejandra is deported to Mexico in just 14 days, leaving behind her children, her husband, and her community.

“Congress has failed people like Alejandra. For decades, lawmakers in Washington have been unable or unwilling to pass legislation to fix our broken immigration system. As a result, millions of people living and working as our neighbors, raising their children in our communities, and filling the congregations of our churches have no opportunity to get in line and earn a chance at citizenship. It must be fixed.

“Alejandra has tried everything possible to earn legal status, but her fate now rests with ICE. They can decide that it is in the best interest of her children and her community to approve her stay of deportation — or they can choose to ignore the calls from faith and community leaders, from politicians from both sides of the aisle, and from Alejandra’s family, friends and neighbors, and deport a mother just trying to raise her family. Congress has given ICE the authority to grant Alejandra’s request, and to allow her to stay; to do what is right after so many other politicians have failed her. We implore ICE to do so and will continue to urge Congress to finally pass legislation so people like Alejandra are treated as the Americans they truly are.”