Georgia woman detained in immigration raid: I’m a U.S. citizen
Elizabeth Hernandez-Carrillo is looking forward to spending more time with her children and getting back to work installing drywall now that she has been released from an immigration detention center in South Georgia.
Federal authorities released the Gwinnett County woman on an order of supervision Wednesday amid claims from her and her attorney that she is a U.S. citizen. Born in Mexico, Hernandez-Carrillo said she derived her citizenship from her late father, who was a naturalized American citizen and a U.S. Marine. An ICE spokesman said the agency is looking into her claim.
Hernandez-Carrillo, 46, was arrested last month at her home in Lilburn during a nationwide immigration enforcement operation that netted more than 680 people and drew widespread media attention. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement targeted her because she had returned to the U.S. after being deported to Mexico in 2004 following a felony marijuana trafficking conviction.
About the Author
Jeremy Redmon is an award-winning journalist, essayist and educator with more than three decades of experience reporting for newspapers. He has written for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 2005.
