Dexter Calls for Immediate Release of Jackie Merlos After Judge Terminates Case

PORTLAND, OR- Today, Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D. (OR-03) announced that the removal proceedings for Jackie Merlos were terminated by an immigration judge. The ruling is the result of immense public pressure and advocacy led by Dexter and an acknowledgment by the judge that there is no legal basis for ICE to detain or deport Jackie, who has a valid visa application pending. Despite the ruling that there is no legal basis for Jackie's deportation, the government has reserved appeal, and ICE is cruelly continuing to detain her away from her U.S. citizen children.

"In July, when I saw Jackie Merlos and her four U.S. citizen children locked in a windowless cell-I thought, 'If we allow this to become normal, we surrender who we are.'Oregonians rose to the moment for Jackie and her family. Thanks to immense public pressure and a community that refused to stay silent, we not only stopped Jackie's deportation and freed her children, but we also secured a ruling that there is no legal basis for ICE to detain or deport Jackie.

"Oregonians should know we have power, and this moment is an exhibit of that. We must continue using our power to protect our neighbors and keep families together.

"However, Jackie's fight is not over. ICE's decision to continue holding Jackie, even after a judge terminated her case, is a reminder of the perverse incentives fueling Trump's for-profit immigration machine. I am calling for ICE to immediately release Jackie. We cannot rest until not just Jackie, but every family has access to justice. Now is the moment to stay loud."

Jackie Merlosis a Portland mother and small business owner who was disappeared and detained by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with her four U.S. citizen children after a visit to Peace Arch Park last summer. After learning of Jackie and her children's detention, Dexter drove to Washington State to demand their release. Dexter worked withSenators Wyden and Merkley to secure an emergency court order halting her deportation, allowing her children to be released and Jackie access to legal counsel.

Last month, Dexter participated in a shadow hearing elevating the Merlos family's story. The hearing was titled Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump's Assault Destroys U.S. Families and Communities.

###