An El Monte woman arrested by immigration officers is heading home with her adult daughter who is battling rare bone cancer.
The judge agreed to allow Yolanda Perez to be released on bonds. Perez, 50, is the main caregiver for her sick daughter. The Mexican national illegally in the country was released Tuesday after posting $1,500 in bonds after an immigration hearing in San Diego, according to female lawyer David Acarin.
Akarin said Perez was arrested on February 24th. Immigrants and customs enforcement agents appear at El Monte’s home and arrested his son, Jonathan Tejeda.
“He had a colorful past,” Akarin said.
Akarin said Perez was taken into custody when he asked the agent about why he arrested his son. He said he asked about her immigrant status, which led to their discovery that she was convicted of petty theft in 2005.
The lawyer said Perez stole food to feed her family, and she paid a fine and completed probation for it, and never went to jail.
Her arrest by ICE agents, first reported by NBC 4, sparked anger in the community as she was caring for her daughter.
According to Akarin, 21-year-old Xitlali Tejeda said he is battling traditional osteosarcoma, a bone cancer that limits his ability to move. He said she uses a wheelchair, but more importantly, she relies on her mother to take care of her and take her to the appointment of a doctor.
“She’s already missing out on a chemo or two to see what happened,” he said.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Akarin spoke to the judge about her daughter’s condition and how her mother, who had been in the country for over 20 years, cared for 24/7.
He said he hopes that the Department of Homeland Security prosecutors will let Perez decide whether he can steal the bond. Instead, he said the prosecutors spent about 20 minutes opposed her release.
“My client is a flight risk, a caretaker for an adult daughter with cancer, and I have very fiercely claimed that she is a person of a bad moral character due to the shoplifting that took place 20 years ago.”
Akarin said he was speechless.
“If this isn’t the case they’re going to show a bit of compassion,” he said.
Akarin said he and his family are grateful that the federal judge has granted her release. He said he is requesting that the case be moved to Los Angeles. This is a process that can take several weeks.
Until then, Perez would stay by his daughter’s side, he said.
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