Mother who reported sexual harassment by ICE contractor deported to Mexico
A California mother of eight who has lived in the U.S. for nearly 40 years was deported to Mexico despite having received an emergency reprieve by a court, according to her attorneys.KCRA 3 reported last week about Silvia Reyna Mendoza, after her family filed a lawsuit alleging she was being retaliated against for reporting sexual harassment by an ICE contractor.(Watch previous coverage in the video player above.)After the story aired Thursday night, Reyna Mendoza was deported on Friday morning.Her law office told KCRA 3 that Reyna Mendoza's immigration attorneys were able to get an emergency temporary stay on Friday night, but she was still illegally deported. They said she is in contact with her attorneys and they are addressing the deportation."It's obviously very suspicious because all along the defendants that we are suing have been working very hard to cover up the sexual harassment," said Reyna Mendoza's lawyer, Israel Ramirez. "We're still investigating this. We want all the facts to come out and we want the individuals who have harmed her to be brought to justice."Reyna Mendoza arrived in the U.S. from Mexico as a teenager. Her family said she was fleeing domestic violence.Her children are all U.S. citizens, but she herself is not. Reyna Mendoza has spent years navigating the immigration process in Sacramento. Her status required monitoring by ICE through its contractor, BI Incorporated.Reyna Mendoza's children told KCRA 3 that she began receiving sexually explicit text messages and videos, and requests for sexual favors from her specialist. But when they reported the claims, the family said there was no follow-up, and the contractor tried to delete evidence."It's really hard when you're trying to speak up to the authorities of what's going on and they dismiss it. Who do you ask for help at that point?" her son, Francisco Govea, told KCRA last week.Ramirez vows the lawsuit will continue even if Reyna Mendoza needs to be part of the proceedings virtually. KCRA 3 has reached out to federal immigration officials but has not heard back. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
