Daniel Ramirez Medina – a 23-year-old Mexican national illegally in the country and issued a work permit via former President Barack Obama’s executive order known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) – has been arrested by immigration authorities in Seattle, WA.
DACA extended work permits to non-citizen foreigners illegally in the country who claim to have entered America before turning 16.
Without evidence, Reuters reported that Medina was illegally entered the country “as a child”.
Medina’s lawyers presumably sought to bring national attention to their client in reaching out to news media outlets, claiming it is the first time a DACA beneficiary arrested during the Trump administration.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) say Medina is a “self-admitted gang member” who was taken into custody “based on his admitted gang affiliation”. ICE added that Medina is a “risk to public safety.”
Medina’s lawyers claim that their client was “repeatedly pressured by [ICE] agents to falsely admit [gang] affiliation].”
Medina was arrested last Friday morning at his father’s home by ICE agents carrying out an arrest of his father. He was then questioned and taken into custody, according to the lawsuit submitted by his legal counsel.
Seattle’s municipal government describes the state capital as “a sanctuary city.”
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray took to Twitter to express support for foreigners illegally residing in his city:
Left-wing and Democrat-aligned news media outlets such as CNN are questioning what Medina’s arrest means for DREAMers – a term coined by the Obama administration to describe foreigners illegally in the country targeted for amnesty by the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act – more broadly.
CNN describes Mednia as an “undocumented immigrant.”
One of Medina’s lawyers told Reuters that his client remains in a detention center in Tacoma, WA, where he was fingerprinted and booked.
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