U.S. moving to deport outspoken Tacoma immigration activist

Some immigrants living in the United States illegally keep their heads down, careful not to attract attention that might get them noticed by federal officers.

Not Maru Mora-Villalpando.

The Mexican native has been an outspoken activist for years. She has lived in the United States for more than 25 years, and been upfront about staying in the country after her tourist visa expired.

Now, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has put Mora-Villalpando in deportation proceedings, and she and her supporters charge the agency with retaliation.

Speaking at a protest Monday in front of ICE offices in downtown Seattle, Mora-Villalpando said a December letter from the agency ordered her to appear in immigration court at an unspecified date.

“To me, it’s a clear sign that ICE wants me to stop my job,” she said. “It was an intimidation tactic.”

Human-rights lawyers and activists at the protest said Mora-Villalpando is one of several immigration activists across the country targeted for deportation under President Donald Trump.

ICE did not respond to a request for comment.

Mora-Villalpando became known for speaking out against deportation policies and organizing among people being held at the Northwest Detention Center on the Tacoma Tideflats. She has been a spokeswoman for detainees holding a series of hunger strikes over the last few years.

Among those at the protest was her 20-year-old daughter, Josefina, an American citizen, who called Mora-Villalpando’s arrest a “nightmare.”

Mora-Villalpando, who had tears in her eyes as she began to address the crowd, vowed to continue her activism.

As the protest drew to a close, she asked people to follow her to Tacoma, where she planned another protest Tuesday at the detention center.

This story was originally published January 16, 2018 at 2:52 PM with the headline "U.S. moving to deport outspoken Tacoma immigration activist."