(C) Common Dreams
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She went in for a visa update and never came back: Bootheel community ... [1]
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Date: 2025-06
She went in for the appointment.
And she never came back.
Kennett's Carol Mayorga left town early on the last Tuesday in April and traveled north on Interstate 55 until she arrived at US Citizenship and Immigration Services to update her visa.
She had a prearranged mid-August date on her calendar for that very reason.
So when the call came on the last Monday in April, informing Mayorga to arrive promptly at the Saint Louis office less than 24 hours later, she hoped it was business as usual.
Those hopes were dashed when Mayorga, whose given name is Ming Li Hui, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on the spot and taken from Missouri's largest city to be confined ultimately in a Phelps County jail cell.
Her family members are frightened for Mayorga's children, all of them American citizens by virtue of birthright citizenship.
All of them exceptional students by virtue of a mother who stacked jobs like building blocks, and a dedicated father, both of whom were required to provide for their needs.
The kids are confused and overwhelmed.
And family members are reluctant to talk.
But it's time to discuss Carol Mayorga.
A Chinese national with evident immigration issues.
"She's a part of our community," said Leah Mobley. "A very supportive, uplifting kind of person contributing to society."
Most visitors to Kennett's restaurants during the last two decades have seen and met Mayorga, whether they know it or not.
She's worked in the most favored places.
And people who know her are shocked that Carol Mayorga, who arrived in the United States in 2002 and made Kennett her home, the Carol who never met a stranger but befriended them all, the Carol who welcomed inside those who were shunned outside, disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"She went by herself," said Mayorga's family member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "She tried to contact her lawyer in Saint Louis.
"But I guess because of the timeline, she couldn't reach him," they continued. "She was to be at the immigration office at nine, and the lawyer wasn't in until 10 or something. So I don't think he even knew she was there."
Carol complied and attended the meeting, thinking she was updating her visa, they explained.
"She went in for the appointment," the spokesperson emphasized. "And she never came back."
A quick Internet search revealed people have been detained "after being tricked into seemingly routine check-in appointments at ICE offices," as reported by NBC News.
"Some people have also been detained after answering questions from individuals posing as law enforcement officers at their homes," as reported by the American Civil Liberties Union.
"These deceptive tactics can lead to the arrest and detention of individuals, even those who might otherwise be unaware that they were being targeted," news reports indicated. "The ACLU has challenged such practices in court, arguing that they violate the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures."
And more folks like Mobley are shaking their heads.
"There are a lot of people upset about this," said Kennett Ward 1 City Councilor Lisa Dry. "People may not have been paying attention, but what happened to Carol is happening way too often.
"It is not an aberration," she emphasized. "It is a serious situation. And if it could happen to Carol, it could happen to anyone. Because in my mind, she is a model member of our community."
And Mobley heaped more praise on Mayorga.
"She is a friend to everyone she meets," she said. "Back in the day, all those years ago, when she worked at Country Buffet, I'd go in there with my developmentally disabled clients.
"A lot of restaurants looked down on us and really didn't want us there," she continued. "Carol rolled out the red carpet. She makes everyone feel special."
Vanessa Cowart attends church with Mayorga and her family, and sponsored her into the Catholic Church this past Easter.
"I called Rolla Jail and ICE," Cowart said. "Rolla was very helpful.
"But ICE never did answer my calls," she said. "Or call me back after I left messages. I am very concerned about Carol being held on no other charge but her being an illegal immigrant, according to her husband and the people at Rolla jail I spoke to. I am also VERY concerned if our government has transitioned from arresting criminal aliens to scooping up moms."
ICE officials told reporters on Wednesday that more than 28,000 people were deported in the first seven weeks of the Trump administration, after several weeks with no information forthcoming.
ICE agents are reported to have "removed" 28,319 people from the US between Jan. 20 and March 11, an average of about 3,887 people a week, a few more than 550 a day.
But ICE arrested more than 113,000 people and deported more than 100,000 as of April 1, according to official reports.
"It's time to tell your elected officials," Dry said. "Yes, we want secure borders.
'"Yes, we want to have good citizens," she continued. "But what is happening right now is not OK."
Now, Mayorga's family thinks Carol's case is closed, that she received a deportation notice, a "formal document issued to a noncitizen, indicating that they are being removed from the U.S. for violating immigration laws," and her return to China is a foregone conclusion, given the current political climate.
However, it's possible that her case could be reopened and her visa reconsidered.
"There's just got to be a way to stop this, you know?" Mobley lamented.
The district's state representatives and senators, as well as Missouri's Congressional delegation, were all contacted.
This is a developing story.
[END]
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[1] Url:
https://www.dddnews.com/news/she-went-in-for-a-visa-update-and-never-came-back-bootheel-community-reels-after-ice-detention-48f95fb6
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