Kelly, Stanton, Gallego, Ansari Urge Trump to Prevent Removal of Arizona Mother and Business Owner

In separate occasions in August, Sen. Kelly and Rep. Stanton visited the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona and met with Kelly Yu

Today, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Representative Greg Stanton, alongside Senator Ruben Gallego and Representative Yassamin Ansari, urged President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to use their discretion to stay or suspend the removal of Kelly Yu, a long-time Arizona resident and Peoria business owner who has spent months in ICE detention despite having no criminal record.

In a letter to the administration, Senator Kelly and his colleagues highlighted Yu's deep roots in Peoria as a restaurant owner who employs dozens of American workers and gives back to her community, including by "donating meals to homeless shelters, supporting high school baseball teams, and supporting local law enforcement." They also underscored Yu's clean record and compliance with immigration laws.

"She has no criminal history and has complied with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including routine check-ins while under supervision," the lawmakers said. "Despite Kelly's compliance with the conditions of supervised release, she was placed in detention during her last ICE check-in and has now spent months at the Eloy Detention Center."

Kelly, Stanton, Gallego, and Ansari described Yu's immigration story and how she's built a life in the United States with her U.S.-born daughter and her husband, a U.S. citizen, all while under ICE supervision for two decades.

"Kelly's detention deserves the use of discretion by this administration. As the immediate family member of two Americans, Kelly has a legal path to remain in the United States, and she has demonstrated for over twenty years that she will comply with ICE supervision while her application is reviewed. After fleeing a repressive regime as a teen, Kelly has now lived more years of her life in the United States," they said. "In that time, she started a family, set deep roots in our community in Arizona, became a job creator and is a lawful, contributing member of our society. Removing Kelly would not be in the best interest of the United States."

The lawmakers call on the administration to use discretion in Yu's case because "without such action, she faces imminent removal to a country she fled as a teenager under credible fear and separation from her American family."

President Trump's goal of targeting dangerous criminals to keep Americans safe is something the Arizona officials agree on, "but that is not what is happening in this case," they stated.

Read the full letter here.

Read more: Arizona Democrats ask Trump to spare Peoria restaurant owner from deportation