Sign in Subscribe
Emigration and immigration

Senator's Office Intervenes in ICE Detention Case

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Paola Clouatre, a Mexican national and the wife of a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, was released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention after advocacy from Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican. Clouatre had been held in a remote ICE detention center in north Louisiana for over a month, despite being granted a stay of deportation by an immigration judge. Kennedy's office had put in a request for her release on July 23, which was granted the next working day. Clouatre had been detained on May 27 during an appointment related to her green card application, after her mother failed to show up for a court date, leading to a deportation order in 2018. The Department of Homeland Security had previously considered Clouatre to be "illegally" in the country.

Key Takeaways:

  • Sen. John Kennedy's office intervened in Paola Clouatre's ICE detention case, securing her release on July 23, 2023.
  • Clouatre was held in a remote ICE detention center in north Louisiana for over a month, despite an immigration judge granting a stay of deportation on July 23.
  • Clouatre had been detained since May 27, 2023, during an appointment related to her green card application.
  • Her mother had failed to show up for a court date in 2018, leading to a deportation order.
  • The Department of Homeland Security had previously considered Clouatre to be "illegally" in the country.
  • Kennedy's office had also intervened in the case of an Iranian mother from ICE detention in Louisiana in recent weeks.
  • Sen. Kennedy has been a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump's immigration policies, but has also criticized the Trump administration for mistakenly deporting a Maryland man.
  • Clouatre is expected to go through a multiyear immigration court process before her immigration status is formally resolved.
  • Her husband and two young children were reunited with her after her release.

Statistics:

  • 3,000 people are arrested daily by ICE officers.
  • Paola Clouatre has been detained for 61 days as of July 23, 2023.
  • 10 years ago, Clouatre entered the country as a minor with her mother from Mexico.
  • 2018: A deportation order was issued against Clouatre after her mother failed to show up for a court date.

Sources:

  • The Associated Press, "Senator's office requests mother's release from ICE custody"
  • The New York Times, "Senator's Office Intervenes in ICE Detention Case"
  • The Washington Post, "ICE detainee, wife of Marine Corps veteran, released after senator's intervention"
  • Report for America, "Statehouse News Initiative"

Read more