Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez, a DACA recipient, went to an immigration interview hoping she’d finally obtain her green card. Instead, ICE arrested her in front of her daughter Damaris Bello and deported her to Mexico.
walked into the local U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Sacramento, California, for her green-card interview. The 42-year-old was born in Mexico and arrived unaccompanied in the U.S. as a teen in 1998.
She became a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2013, which granted her a work permit and protected her from deportation. With her 22-year-old daughter, Damaris Bello, by her side, Estrada Juarez carried all the documentation she needed to prove she qualified for permanent residency — tax forms, vaccination proof, and evidence that she has no criminal record. Because of DACA’s strict requirements and biennial renewal process, the mother and daughter were sure Estrada Juarez’s application would be successful. They were so confident, in fact, that they didn’t even bring a lawyer along. But in a matter of hours, their world came crashing down. Following the interview, immigration agents arrested Estrada Juarez in front of a horrified Bello, claiming that she had an expedited removal order from when she first entered the U.S. as a minor. Within 24 hours, she was deported to Mexico — a country she had visited only once, with the U.S. government’s permission, since she crossed the border nearly three decades ago., DACA is meant to shield its recipients from deportation. And yet, the Trump administration’s position is that it can remove Dreamers like Estrada Juarez from the country. Between January 1 and November 19, 2025, immigration agents arrested 261 DACA recipients and deported 86 of them, according tothen–Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem sent to Senator Dick Durbin from Illinois last month. To fight back, Estrada Juarez, alleging that she was never in removal proceedings and her deportation was unlawful due to her valid DACA permit. On March 23, a district judge ordered the government to facilitate Estrada Juarez’s return to the United States within seven days and to restore her DACA status. For now, she’s still in Mexico, a world away from her daughter. Having her mother taken away has been devastating for Bello. Through her life, it’s been just the two of them always together. Since Estrada Juarez’s deportation, the 22-year-old has had to juggle the responsibilities of living alone for the first time while trying to help her mother return home. I spoke with the mother and daughter about how the Trump administration has ripped their lives apart and the uncertainty they have about what the future holds.Life truly changed overnight. My mother was the person who held our home together and now that she’s been gone, I’m trying my best to stay strong for both of us.The most difficult part is being separated. She’s 22, but she’s my baby. I promised myself to be there for the hardest parts of her life. Right now, it’s the hardest one and I’m failing her.When I got to the United States at 15, I started working two jobs and I was going to high school as well. I wanted to go to college after graduation, but back in those days it was hard for someone like me — someone without status — to do it. I was also very careful, always following the rules so I wouldn’t get in trouble. Like making sure that you drive within the speed limit; if it says 60 miles per hour, we’re not going at 65. I had Damaris at 20 and continued working in Los Angeles, often two jobs. We eventually moved to Sacramento. Then, in 2013, I got my DACA permit. That changed a lot: It helped me to try to reach out for a better life. I wanted to do something more than being a cashier at a gas station, so I started doing auto insurance. A few years later, I changed jobs and became a regional manager for Motel 6. That’s what I’ve been doing since. With DACA, I could travel to other states to oversee those properties. I could do it without being afraid like before, wondering,I felt like I belonged. I was able to provide a better life for my daughter. I see young kids here in Mexico who are already working to help their parents. They’re picking up cans and cardboard. Damaris didn’t have to do any of that. It was the right path, and that’s why I never imagined that I was going to end up where we are right now. Damaris, because you’re a U.S. citizen, once you turned 21 you could start the process of sponsoring your mom for permanent residency. How did you both feel about the potential of Maria obtaining her green card?It was obviously pretty nerve-wracking, especially with the administration that’s in right now, but we were excited. She would not be dependent on the DACA permit anymore or having to go through the renewal process. When the time came, we saw it as a next step forward. If DACA gave her these opportunities, we can’t even imagine how many more doors getting permanent residency would open for her.. I told Damaris, “I want you to concentrate in school. I want you to finish college and think about graduate school because I can help you.” We talked about starting a business so we’re not depending on somebody else to support our family. We also wanted to travel. She went to a Catholic school; the staff organize a two-week trip to Europe where students and alumni visit the Vaticano and other important Catholic sites, but we couldn’t do it because of my status. I told her it would be nice if we could do it together. At the beginning of the year, I told her we should go see how much it costs and what the payment plan would be. If I got my green card, maybe we could do it on Christmas.My mom had an interview with USCIS for her permanent-residency application that morning. I was so nervous I couldn’t concentrate on anything else. While we were waiting in line, we talked about all the things that we could do if her status changed. Once we got into the interview around 10:30 a.m., the USCIS officer asked my mom a lot of standard questions. And then he mentioned something about a removal order that she had in 1998. We weren’t aware of it and, to this day, we still haven’t seen any proof it exists. He said the order permanently bars people from ever getting residency in the United States. Then he went, “Let me go speak with my supervisor.” He handed us a piece of paper saying that her case is under review and that we would be contacted via mail. After he left the room, three agents knocked on the door, entered the room, and they said my mother’s name. We didn’t see any identification. They just looked like normal people. Then, they arrested her in front of me.After they cuffed me, I turned around and I saw her face was pale. She was shaking, in tears, looking around trying to find somebody that could help. But no one out there wanted to help us. I grabbed her face. I covered her eyes so she could just see me and not anybody else. She said, “Mom.” I said, “Mija, we are what God wants us to be. I want you to be strong. I want you to hold yourself together and show the world whose daughter you are. We’re going to be okay. I’m going to be okay.” Seeing my daughter devastated like that … It was the hardest day of my life. I also felt so humiliated.It was very hard seeing my mother being treated as a criminal. There were three officers that came in and then there were three more officers outside waiting for her. I was just so appalled. DACA recipients go through extensive background checks; you can’t even have it with a criminal record. She renewed her permit five times! It was completely insane. After they took her, my mind started spiraling. I was like,It felt like you’re not a human anymore. You’re not a person to them. I kept saying, “My DACA is active. I want to see a judge.” No one would listen.I went outside to see who I could call. I was desperate. We didn’t prepare for something like this. One of the ICE agents — I’m assuming, since they had no identification — came to me and said, “Hey, you need to bringfor your mom. You need to be back here by 3 p.m. because she’s being deported today.” He said I could only bring one backpack. I rushed to our house. At that point, I had already called my mom’s boss. He’s a close family friend. He was outside our house already and I just broke down again. He said, “You need to concentrate. I know it’s hard right now, but they’re telling you that they’re going to take your mom now. You need to go inside and grab her some stuff.” I stared at my mom’s closet, and I didn’t know what to pack. How do I fit her whole entire life in one single backpack? I don’t know how much clothes she needs. I don’t know if it’s going to be hot or cold. Are they even going to allow her to have some of this stuff with her? My boyfriend arrived and helped me focus. We got her essentials while we were calling different lawyers to see if anyone was able to be there. When we returned to the USCIS office, a lawyer I was able to hire joined us. I was able to see my mom in the visitation room briefly, then the lawyer took over. They told the officers multiple times, “She’s a DACA recipient. She can’t be deported. That’s deferred action.” And they responded, “Yeah, yeah. We’ll let them know.” It seemed like they truly didn’t care and they were just trying to get her out of the country as quickly as possible. Maria, earlier you said that getting DACA gave you a sense of security you didn’t have for the years you were in the country without authorization. Did the possibility something like this could happen ever cross your mind?I had heard people were getting detained during appointments but also that they had a criminal record. I don’t have any of that. My DACA is current. In 2014, after receiving my permit, the government granted me advance parole — basically a document giving me permission — to travel to Mexico. I came back through LAX and the agents told me, “Welcome to the United States,” and stamped my passport. I had all the requirements that they needed. I did my renewals over the years. There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to get a positive result with the permanent residency. Instead, I feel like when I walked into the USCIS office in Sacramento, I walked into a trap. I was a mouse after the cheese and I was so hungry for better that I fell into a trap. I feel like my rights were violated so many times in that place. The officers asked me to sign documents, and I told them I don’t want to sign them without my lawyer being present. They said, “You’re going to have to sign it anyway.” One of the agents then said, “You’re going to have to put your fingerprint on it.” I said, “No. I know for a fact that people that cannot read and write, they use their fingerprints as a signature. And if I put my fingerprint on it, it’s that I am agreeing for whatever this paper says. I don’t want to sign it.” He said, “If you don’t do it, I’m going to do it for you.” So sure enough, he held my hand, put my finger on the ink pad, and fingerprinted the paper that later we found in my bag. When it was time to go, they cuffed my feet, my hands, and put a chain around my waist. They put us in a van. I was crying and shaking. My hands started sweating. I told an officer, “Are you guys going to deport me back to Mexico? Why don’t you ask my daughter to buy me a flight ticket? Drop me out of the airport. Don’t make me do this. I’m terrified.” They took us to a processing center. I was thirsty, but I didn’t want to drink water because they put you in rooms with cameras in it and there’s a bathroom with no doors. I remember having seen a press conference with Secretary Kristi Noem and she had said that they serve three nutritious meals at the detention centers. What they gave me was three slices of bread with two slices of ham in a sandwich bag, a rice-crispy treat, and a water bottle. Is that a nutritional meal? They make sure you know they’re in power and you’re nothing. Afterward, they took us to another center in Bakersville, I believe. When they prepared to move us again, I asked one of the officers, a lady, “Where are you taking me next? I want to know.” And she said, “Honey, where do you think you’re going?” I told her I asked to speak to a judge because my DACA is active. She just said, “Oh, honey. You’re going to Mexico. They’re going to drop you off at Tijuana.” After being deported to Tijuana, I went to Atlixco, my hometown in Puebla. I’m living with my sister and my mom. In Mexico, you are surviving. I don’t know my town anymore. I get lost. It’s been hard. I even had to go to the doctor this past week because I don’t think my anxiety medication is working as it should be working because of all the stress.My mom and I have lived together all my life. Well, until February. I had to take a leave of absence from work, because I’m handling everything else basically on my own — running the household but also trying to help my mother with her case. I obviously can’t afford the rent here. I can’t have the lifestyle that I have without my mother as head of household. I’m also figuring out on my own how to manage the utilities, insurance, car payments, groceries, and whatever else is needed. That’s just the financial part of it. Emotionally, it’s so difficult. My mom was the center of our home. All my life it has always just been my mother and me. I know that I can go and visit her in Mexico. I know that that’s always an option, but she built her life here. Everything that she had was due to her hard work.It makes me sad and angry hearing that. At the same time, I feel proud of you. I know you’re going to pull it through.We talk throughout the day, maybe four or five times. We FaceTime, because I want to make sure that she gets up in the morning, that she is eating, that she’s okay. After I was deported, Damaris flew into San Diego with a family friend and then they drove to Tijuana to drop off my bags. It’s funny because there was one day while she was visiting and we were in the car. She and her cousins are very close and share their location with each other. I told her, “Okay, so if you ever go missing, do I call your cousins so they can try to find you?” When we arrived at my mom’s place, Damaris grabbed my phone. She said, “There, mom. Now I’m going to know where you are and you’re going to know where I am.” She had made us share our locations with each other. It’s important to let her know exactly what’s going on with me, so she won’t be caught off guard. I want her to do the same. I have had calls with my mom where she’s asked me, “How are you doing?” And even if I’m not doing okay, I’m always like, “I’m doing good!” Please don’t copy that from me, Damaris.Transparency is the best thing for us, especially in terms of the legal side of things. This is her experience, but I’m also impacted. So I feel like it’s kind of like our story now. Hopefully we’ll be able to give my mother the justice that she deserves and hopefully also everyone else that’s going through a similar situation.Everything’s hectic right now. It’s a very difficult time for immigrants trying to do things, even the legal way. But my mother raised me to be a hopeful person and always believe in the system. I hope that we can still progress and that we can come back from this.I also want to believe that the system will do the right thing. I am saving all my strength for when I go back because I want to be even more successful and prove what they did wrong. I am a good person and I can be an asset to this country. I’m not a criminal. All I want is to go home. I want to be with my daughter. I belong there.Both Sides of a First Date: She Brought Conversation-Starter CardsShe Made New York Liberty Games the Hottest Tickets in Town Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai moved the WNBA team to Brooklyn, brought in top-tier talent, and built a unique game-night experience.If you’ve been fooled into thinking some TikTok of a cottage-cheese cheesecake recipe is real, well, brother, this one’s for you.The Best Toner Pads for Every Skin Type and ConcernClassifiedsHer latest fandom drama involves a Brazilian soccer player claiming she sent a security guard to yell at his 11-year-old daughter.Both Sides of a First Date: She Brought Conversation-Starter CardsTwenty-seven children died in a Texas flood, dividing families over whether it was an act of God or adult failure. New York
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