Sign Our Petition: Free Jackie Merlos

Sign our petition to demand the immediate release of Jackie Merlos. Help bring this family back together.

We will deliver this petition to members of Congress to enlist their support in demanding action. Hearing from people across the country will help!

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The Story:

Jackie Merlos has lived in the United States for more than 20 years. She resides in Portland, Oregon, and along with her husband, is a business owner, churchgoer, and a parent of four young children, who are all U.S. citizens.

What began as a family reunion quickly turned into a nightmare. On June 28th, Jackie drove with her mother, Juana, and children to Peace Arch State Park, which straddles the U.S.-Canada border. The plan was to have a picnic with Jackie’s sister, Flor, who is a Canadian permanent resident. While saying goodbye, Flor stepped over the border line. That’s when Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents swooped in and arrested Jackie and her mother — under the false and outlandish allegations of “human trafficking.” All because her sister stepped her foot over a line while hugging her family goodbye.

Agents brought Jackie and the kids to a facility in Ferndale, Washington and separated Juana from them.

Two weeks after being detained, Jackie was able to speak to her lawyer for the first time only after a lawsuit was filed and a federal judge ordered that communication be granted. Just before Jackie was about to be deported, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order, stopping the deportation.

Mimi, a longtime family friend, was called to pick up the children from the airport. She has been taking care of them in the months since, as ICE continues to detain their mother. Every day, the children ask Mimi when they will get to see their mom again.

In this single case, immigration agents:

Arrested a family based on a ludicrously false allegation

Interrogated nine- and seven-year-old children without their mother present

Threatened a mother with losing children to foster care if she didn’t agree to voluntarily deport

Broke into a home to confiscate birth certificates in order to expedite passports for U.S. citizen children in the hopes of deporting them

Held a mother and kids in the airport overnight, flashing the lights on and off every 15 minutes to pressure them to get on a plane to leave their lives behind

This is outrageous and demands national attention. ICE must free Jackie Merlos.

We call on elected officials to help us hold ICE and CBP accountable and demand her release.