Flatbush Grandmother Arrested By ICE, Officials And Activists Say

FLATBUSH, BROOKLYN — A Brooklyn grandmother who has lived in New York for more than 30 years was arrested by ICE agents last week, according to officials and the activists trying to free her.

Gloria Hernandez-Soriano, a Flatbush resident who has lived with her family in Brooklyn for 34 years, was arrested by immigration control officers on July 16, according to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman and a local immigrant rights organization called the Brooklyn Defense Committee.

Hernandez Soriano, originally from Mexico, was arrested after immigration officials discovered she’d returned to the United States after an initial deportation in 2001, an ICE spokeswoman said.

The Flatbush woman is the wife of a 58-year-old husband with “deteriorating health problems,” a mother of six and a grandmother of eight children whom she cares for so her family can work, according to the BDC, a grassroots organization that provides training and support to those facing encounters with ICE.

The group rallied to support Hernandez-Soriano by launching a letter-writing campaign, according to the organization Bay Ridge For Social Justice. The goal is to collect at least 300 letters, which an attorney will present during Hernandez-Soriano’s hearing in Immigration Court on Wednesday.

“Her community cherishes her because of her unrelenting support for her neighbors and family,” organizers wrote in the sample letter.

"As concerned community members, we are united in our common beliefs that all people deserve to live with dignity. Please consider the impact of your decision and release Gloria to the community."

Templates are available on Facebook and can be sent to the Brooklyn Defense Committee email account at Sanctuaryprogram@gmail.com.

The Brooklyn Defense Committee did not immediately respond to Patch's request for an interview.

Photo courtesy of John Moore / Getty Images / Getty Images Staff