Self-deported MPS teacher's aide returns to Milwaukee
Self-deported MPS teacher's aide returns to Milwaukee
It was an emotional homecoming in Milwaukee. A beloved teacher’s aide—who self-deported to El Salvador last year—is officially back home.
MILWAUKEE - It was an emotional homecoming in Milwaukee. A beloved teacher’s aide—who self-deported to El Salvador last year—is officially back home.
Back home
What we know:
FOX6 was the only TV station present during her arrival. For over a year, colleagues, students, and advocates never stopped chanting her name. An effort that finally paid off and brought Yessenia Ruano and her daughters home.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Yessenia Ruano welcomed back home
It was a homecoming, greeted with emotional embraces from the very people who fought for Ruano's return.
"It feels like a dream to be here," Ruano said.
Self-deported MPS teacher's aide returns to Milwaukee a year later
There's a major update on a Milwaukee teacher’s aide who was forced to self-deport to El Salvador last June. She is now back in Milwaukee after more than a year away.
2025 self-deportation
The backstory:
Last June, FOX6 News caught up with Ruano before she self-deported to El Salvador along with her two U.S. citizen daughters. The departure followed a policy shift under the Trump administration that allowed ICE to proceed with deportation while waiting for her T Visa, a specific program allowing trafficking victims to temporarily stay in the country.
"The law says that if you're applying for a T-Visa, you can do so from the United States and receive a T-Visa," immigration attorney Marc Christopher said.
It is a process Christopher says was not followed in Ruano's case.
Yessenia Ruano's lawyer, Marc Christopher (right)
"The court said she needs to be here while that case is pending," Christopher said.
Christopher says it can take up to four years for a decision to be made.
"We are always going to see a rainbow right after a storm," Ruano said.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Yessenia Ruano
Now the beloved ALBA teacher's aide and her daughters feel ready for this new chapter.
"I have good faith that I will get my T-visa and that this decision process will be favorable for my family," Ruano said.
Christopher told FOX6 News that under the law, Ruano should be able to continue her employment. He also added Ruano will have routine check-ins with ICE, and agreed to have her whereabouts tracked down.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Abril Preciado and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from Yessenia Ruano and immigration attorney Marc Christopher.