Milwaukee teacher's aide self-deports to El Salvador
Milwaukee teacher's aide self-deports
An MPS teacher's aide, given an order to self-deport earlier this month, said goodbye to Milwaukee. She is on her way to El Salvador.
MILWAUKEE - A beloved Milwaukee Public Schools teacher's aide, given an order to self-deport earlier this month, said goodbye to the city on Tuesday. She is now flying to El Salvador after making a life in Milwaukee for more than a decade.
What they're saying:
With tears in her eyes, holding tight to close friends and family, Yessenia Ruano said goodbye to the life she spent 14 years building in the U.S.
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"I’m feeling like a tornado inside. I have a tornado of emotion," said Yessenia Ruano. "I feel love for my community, for bosses and everyone who supported me through the process."
Teachers at Alba School, activists from Voces de la Frontera and family embraced Ruano and her twin daughters one last time at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport on Tuesday.
Support for Yessenia Ruano
"I do not lose hope that god will allow me to return with the right tools and strength," she said.
After an emotional exchange of words and embraces, Ruano and her daughters joined supporters in a prayer for a safe journey. Ruano said she will be living with her mother when she reaches El Salvador.
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Dig deeper:
Ruano's attorney, Marc Christopher, said her deportation comes after immigration and customs enforcement denied her emergency request to stay, while her T visa – a visa given to survivors of human trafficking – is pending.
"They noticed [sic] me on Wednesday that my stay was denied," she said.
Ruano, who first fled the violence, trafficking and fear from her native El Salvador, is now headed back to her home country with her daughters, who are U.S. citizens.
"This is the result of a very broken, very painful immigration system," said Sarah Weintraub with the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association.
The other side:
FOX6 News reached out to the Trump administration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for comment but did not hear back by the deadline for this story.
Editor's note: FOX6 News translated some quotes from Spanish to English for this report.
The Source: FOX6 News conducted interviews and reached out to the Trump administration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for this report. Some details are from prior coverage of Ruano's situation.