Jessica Colotl controversy

Jessica Colotl is an undocumented immigrant to the United States whose 2010 arrest for driving without a license and possible deportation called attention to the issue of illegal immigration. Colotl (born ) or 11 years old. Colotl became the center of debate over immigration policy, including the enrollment of non-citizens in state universities and discussion of Immigration and Nationality Act Section 287(g) which allowed police to turn her over to immigration enforcement.

Colotl's arrest took place during debate over immigration law as the state of Arizona had recently passed a law allowing police to ask for proof of legal residency from anyone they have reasonable suspicion against for being an illegal alien (race may explicitly not be a factor in deciding reasonable suspicion), and have already stopped for some other crime. Proponents of both sides of the immigration debate rallied around the issue, which became a 'flashpoint' in the intense debate over immigration. Colotl was granted a temporary stay of deportation and was allowed to work, but that status was stripped in May 2017 when she was not allowed to renew her status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). She is suing the government, arguing that hers is being treated as "a test case to revoke DACA," and that the government is "exceeding its discretionary authority".

Background Colotl's parents brought her without proper documentation to the US from Puebla in southern Mexico when she was 11 years old. she enrolled in Kennesaw State University in the fall of 2006, majored in political science, and was set to graduate in fall of 2010.

Arrest and charges Colotl was pulled over by university police on March 29, 2010, for "impeding the flow of traffic," and did not have a driver's license, only an expired Mexican passport. Chris Taylor, Colotl's criminal attorney, said her car's registration had an old address, and she gave officials her current address on the form.

After Colotl was released from the immigration detention center, the Cobb County Sheriff's office issued a warrant for her re-arrest After the warrant for her arrest was issued, the sheriff's office launched a search for her. on Friday, May 14. She paid a $2,500 bond to be released later that day . Daniel Papp, the president of Kennesaw State University, had sent a letter to federal immigration authorities stating that Colotl was a student in good standing and asking that she be given another year in the country to finish college. Colotl said she was given a permit to work legally in the US.

The American Civil Liberties Union has asked the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice to look into the case.

Colotl's case sparked concerns in Georgia that illegal immigrants were using up too much of the state's resources, Republican Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson implied that he did not think Colotl should be allowed to stay and finish college because "the law is the law." State lawmakers tried unsuccessfully to pass a bill barring undocumented students from state colleges. Referring to that decision and Colotl's continued prosecution, her lawyer said, "with the recent executive order from the president, this issue is dead." Days before the deferment was to expire in May 2012, it was extended for another year, Colotl graduated from college in May 2011. Superior Court Judge Mary Staley did not dismiss her charges, finding instead that the Sheriff's office "raised legitimate concerns that have not been adequately addressed".