Community Corner
FL Honors Student, 22, Detained By ICE, Faces Deportation To Mexico
Maria "Lulu" Martinez's family is calling for the Sarasota County honor student's release by ICE as she faces deportation, reports said.
NORTH PORT, FL — The family of an undocumented Sarasota County honors student detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement last month in Texas is calling for her release, according to multiple reports.
Maria “Lulu” Martinez, 22, faces deportation to Mexico.
The North Port High School graduate was 12 years old when she and her siblings were brought over the border into the U.S. by their parents, ABC 7 reported.
Find out what's happening in Sarasotafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
See Also:
- Sarasota Lifeguard Honored By FL, National Organizations For Rescue
- Person Who Wrote Bomb Threat On FL Flight Sought: FBI Tampa
- Body Found Under Pinellas County Bridge Identified After 30 Years
After graduating from North Port with honors, Martinez went on to earn an associate’s degree in business administration from the State College of Florida, reports said. Her family said she dreamed of becoming a pilot.
Find out what's happening in Sarasotafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"Ever since I brought my family, and brought Lulu here, she has really worked hard to be a student, learned English, and focused on making something of herself," Sandro, Lulu's dad, said in Spanish to WFTS.
Because of her status, she wasn’t able to get a driver’s license. So, when she was pulled over for making an illegal u-turn on May 21, police called ICE after learning she was undocumented, according to Fox 13.
After her arrest, Martinez was first brought to Sarasota County Jail, where her mom said she was mistreated, reports said.
From there, she was transferred to Tampa and then a Miami detention center. She’s currently being held at an ICE detention facility in Raymondville, Texas, where she faces deportation.
“I know that we are here undocumented, or what some people would say illegal,” her mother, Lourdes, told WTSP. “But my daughter doesn't deserve what's happening to her. She doesn't deserve to be detained.”
Her sister, Kasandra, added, “As immigrants, we will think that [President Donald] Trump will get the criminals, the real criminals. My sister, she has a career, she pays taxes, she has a job. She's not a criminal.”
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
