'Dreamer' Detained After Speaking at Immigration Press Conference

By Brooke Seipel, The Hill

02 March 17

22-year-old was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials early Wednesday, moments after giving a speech at an immigration press conference.

Daniela Vargas spoke at a press conference in front of city hall in Jackson, Miss., and was driving away with a friend when her lawyer said ICE officials pulled them over and detained her, according to The Associated Press.

During her speech, Vargas discussed her fears of being deported and her dream to stay in the U.S., where she has lived since her family came from Argentina when she was 7, The Clarion-Ledger reported.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the Senate minority whip, said on Twitter that he was requesting more information from the Department of Homeland Security on the incident, which he called "disturbing."

Vargas's attorney said she was in the middle of her renewal application to stay in the country after her earlier Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status expired. The policy requires renewal every two years.

She told the crowd Wednesday that she had come out of hiding to give her speech at the press conference, saying she had been in hiding following the recent detention of her father and brother.

"Today, my father and brother await deportation while I continue to fight this battle as a Dreamer to help contribute to this country, which I feel is very much my country," she said, using the term commonly given to immigrant children studying in the U.S. under DACA.

Before being detained Wednesday, Vargas said she planned to move out of state with her mother and pursue her dream of being a university math professor.

"Now, I'm not so sure my dream will continue to develop," she said in her speech, according to The Clarion-Ledger. "A path for citizenship is necessary for DACA recipients but also for the other 11 million undocumented people with dreams."