STATEMENT FROM CONGRESSMAN JOE MORELLE ON DOLORES BUSTAMANTE ROMERO

(Washington, D.C.)—Today, Congressman Joe Morelle released the following statement regarding reports that Dolores Bustamante Romero has been detained by ICE and is set to be deported:

“If reports of Dolores Bustamante Romero’s detention and transfer out of our community are true, it represents a deeply disturbing failure of due process and a blatant abuse of power.

“Donald Trump talked about deporting ‘murderers and rapists,’ the ‘worst of the worst.’ It turns out that was a blatant lie. Dolores is not a criminal. She is a mother, a worker, and a neighbor who has built her life here in Rochester. Ripping her away from her family and moving her across state lines without transparency or accountability is not about public safety. It is the direct result of Trump-era immigration policies that prioritize cruelty, chaos, and fear over fairness and the rule of law.

“It may come as a surprise to the President, but in this country, due process is not optional. It is a fundamental right. No one should be shuffled across the country and fast-tracked toward deportation without the opportunity to have their case heard fully and fairly. What we are seeing in Dolores’s case is not just an injustice against one person, but a dangerous erosion of the legal protections every person in this country is entitled to.

“ICE and the Department of Homeland Security must immediately return Dolores to her family and ensure she is afforded the due process she deserves. Anything less is a betrayal of our values and a stain on our justice system.

“I will continue to speak out against these abuses and vote against any funding for ICE and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security until serious reforms are enacted to put a stop to their unchecked reign of cruelty.”

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