Self-deported MPS teacher's aide returns to Milwaukee a year later

MILWAUKEE - 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.

Back in Milwaukee

What we know:

Heartbreak turned into joy at the Voces de la Frontera office as Yessenia Ruano returned to Milwaukee.

It’s the first time the beloved ALBA Elementary school teacher's aide has been home in over a year.

She was welcomed by a packed room of chanting supporters and colleagues who never stopped fighting for this moment.

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June 2025 self-deportation

The backstory:

To understand how we got here, Ruano came to the U.S. From El Salvador in 2011.

Later, she applied for a "T Visa," a specific program that allows trafficking victims to temporarily stay in the country.

While immigration officials previously protected applicants during the review process, a policy shift under the Trump Administration changed the workflow — allowing ICE to proceed with deportations regardless.

Rather than facing forced removal, Ruano self-deported last June, taking her two U.S.-citizen daughters with her to El Salvador to wait out the fight.

What they're saying:

"My daughters would tell me we want to go to school, we want to go back to ALBA and I would tell them this is what we have available right now, and we are going to keep going, but it would break me inside, and I feel my faith and God is what helped me. Everything is possible," said Yessenia Ruano.

Again, what this means for Ruano is that she can continue to wait for her T Visa to be processed here in the United States.

ImmigrationNewsMilwaukee