ICE Detains Selena Tribute Artist and DACA Recipient
On Saturday, Karol Posadas was returning home from a tour in Texas
Photo: Instagram/@karolposadasofficial
On Saturday, Karol Posadas was returning home from a tour in Texas. However, the singer, and Selena tribute artist, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to sources, Posadas is protected under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). It is unclear if Posadas has current DACA status.
Rodolfo Setien has launched a GoFundme account for Posadas. It’s unclear what the funds are for, but most likely it would cover her legal assistance.
Setien writes, “Karol is a DACA recipient, she is an outstanding person, with no criminal record, who was brought to this country by her family at a young age, to escape the dangers and threats of her home country Guatemala. She has been kept at an overcrowded facility in El Valle, and forced to sleep on the floor, denied access to basic personal care products, and denied medical attention for her heart condition, that jeopardizes her health and for which she needs treatment. We are running against time. Please help us cover the legal fees and expenses necessary to have her released. Please help us free Karol Posadas. We are working-class people, with no influence or money, so for society, our voices do not matter, and the human rights violations that she has been subjected to will go unheard. Help us change that!”
People on social media are demanding the release of Posadas, who’s been a longtime entertainer for Selena fans. Aside from being a Selena tribute singer, Posadas is also a singer and songwriter in her own right.
Lil’ Libros founder, Patty Rodriguez, tweeted, “Karol Posadas, a Selena tribute artist, who has been helping in keeping her music alive has been detained by ICE. She is a DACA recipient. This shouldn’t have happened. Karol is an active member of our community. She needs us.”
DACA beneficiaries should be protected against ICE detention, however, they have been detained in the past. We’ve seen a flight attendant get detained, a young mother of two, and several more in 2017. Earlier this year, Paula Hincapie-Rendon, 26, a DACA beneficiary and Chicago resident, was initially detained by ICE but when she took her daughter to her parents so she could leave with ICE agents, they, in turn, detained her parents. Her mother was a pastor in the area and beloved in her community.
While it is illegal to deport someone with DACA status, the matter could be taken to court due to crimes committed by the person or expired status.
Click here to help Posada’s release from detention.
