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Houston woman deported to Nicaragua despite pending case, judge orders her return

Sep 8, 2026·Location: Houston, TX

Country of origin: Nicaragua

Houston woman deported to Nicaragua despite pending case, judge orders her return
Photo via Clarín

Marcela Linda Arias, who had lived in Houston for nearly 15 years and was seeking to reopen her immigration case as a survivor of domestic abuse, was deported to Nicaragua in late June while in ICE custody in Houston. Her attorney said she had filed a motion to reopen her case that should have triggered an automatic pause on her removal, but ICE deported her anyway; the motion was granted a day after she was removed. U.S. District Judge David Hittner ordered the government to return her, finding she was likely to prevail on the merits and would suffer irreparable harm otherwise, and ICE has since submitted a parole request to facilitate her return.

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