An undocumented Chicago woman and activist plans to sue a federal immigration agency Wednesday, alleging her deferred action renewal application was unjustly denied because of her past participation in civil disobedience actions.
Nadia Sol Ireri Unzueta Carrasco, 29, came to the United States from Mexico City at the age of six and has lived in Chicago ever since.
She is an organizer with the Chicago-based Organized Communities Against Deportations and has engaged in numerous protests over U.S. immigration policy.
In March 2013, Unzueta Carrasco, who graduated from Whitney Young High School and the University of Illinois at Chicago, was granted a two-year protection against deportation under the 2012 federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Her application to renew her DACA status was denied in August 2015.
In denying Unzueta Carrasco's DACA renewal, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) cited "public safety concerns" with her case, pointing to her participation in civil disobedience actions between 2009 and 2013. The denial makes note of Unzueta Carrasco being arrested and charged with "civil disobedience, resisting arrest, obstruction of traffic and reckless conduct" in May 2013, shortly after she received DACA status.
