Judge orders Trump administration to bring back DACA recipient deported to Mexico

Source: Politico

03/24/2026 11:38 AM EDT


A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to bring back a woman abruptly deported to Mexico last month despite her active protections under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez arrived in the United States in 1998 as an undocumented 15-year-old. She was granted DACA protection in 2013 and lives in Sacramento with a 22-year-old U.S. citizen daughter.

On Feb. 18, Estrada — with her daughter in tow — attended a hearing as part of the process to attain lawful permanent residency. There, federal immigration officers denied her application, informed her that she was the subject of a decades-old removal order and detained her. She was deported to Mexico the next morning, despite protesting that her DACA status remained active.

In a Monday order, U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins called the deportation a “flagrant violation” of DACA’s promise of protection to those who arrived in the country as minors, as well as a violation of Estrada’s constitutional due process rights. Coggins, a Biden appointee, directed the administration to facilitate Estrada’s return by March 30. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/24/daca-recipient-deportation-ruling-00841604