Rep. Grijalva Delivers Remarks at Press Conference in Support of Karla Toledo
Tucson, AZ – U.S. Representative Adelita S. Grijalva joined local community members at a press conference in support of Karla Toledo, who recently had deportation proceedings re-filed against her by DHS. Karla is a DACA recipient who was detained by ICE in Tucson on May 18th after they illegally entered her home despite having active DACA status, no criminal record, and having lived in the United States since she was brought to the country at just one year old. Rep. Grijalva visited Karla immediately in detention and later responded to ICE’s smear campaign against her.
You can view Rep. Grijalva’s remarks here and Karla Toledo’s remarks here. Rep’s Grijalva’s remarks are also copied below:
Buenos dias. Thank you all for being here.
I want to begin by talking about Karla Toledo – not as a case number, not as a statistic, but as a member of our community.
Karla was brought to the United States when she was just one year old. This is the only country she has ever known.
Karla es parte de nuestra comunidad. Es nuestra vecina, nuestra amiga, y merece ser tratada con dignidad y respeto.
She is a DACA recipient. She has no criminal record. She has dedicated herself to serving her community and is building a life here in Southern Arizona.
Despite all of that, Karla finds herself once again facing deportation proceedings.
It means living every day with uncertainty about whether you will be separated from your family, your community, and the life you have built. It means putting someone's future on hold.
What makes this case even more disturbing is that DHS already asked immigration court to dismiss Karla’s deportation case. That court granted the request.
But now, after putting Karla and her family through weeks of uncertainty, they have reversed course and started the process all over again.
That is reprehensible.
And through all of this, Karla has shown extraordinary courage.
She could have stayed silent to try to navigate this ordeal in private. Few would have blamed her for doing so. Instead, she chose to speak out.
She chose to tell her story not just for herself, but for other DREAMers and immigrant families facing similar fears – including 19,000 DACA recipients in Arizona alone.
A Los DREAMers quiero que sepan algo: no están solos. Los vemos. Los apoyamos. Y vamos a seguir luchando por ustedes.
Karla has used her voice to shine a light on what is happening and to remind us that behind every immigration case is a human being with a family, a community, and a future worth fighting for.
Last week marked fourteen years since the creation of DACA. For fourteen years, DREAMers have strengthened our communities, taught in our schools, cared for patients in our hospitals, started businesses, and contributed to this country in countless ways.
Karla represents the very best of that legacy.
Her case is also a reminder that immigration policy is not an abstract political debate. It affects real people, real families, and entire communities.
I am calling on DHS to stop playing games with Karla’s life and to drop the deportation proceedings. They have already done it once before. They know that they’re in the wrong. We need to hold the officers who illegally entered Karla’s home accountable for what they did.
Nadie debería vivir con miedo de ser separado de su familia o del único hogar que conoce.
ICE is in the wrong here—not Karla. That’s why they are retaliating against her for being outspoken. Karla is a huge black eye to ICE.
This is a failure of our federal government. This is not a failure of anyone that is a DREAMer.
To Karla, I want to say directly: thank you. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for refusing to stay silent. Thank you for using your voice to benefit so many.
You are not alone. We are all here with you. And we will continue fighting alongside you.
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