Criminal Arrest Puts DACA Recipient at Risk of Deportation

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Immigrant advocates are calling for the release of an El Paso-area activist detained Sunday at El Paso International Airport on immigration charges.

Catalina “Xóchitl” Santiago was taken into custody by U.S. Border Patrol agents at around 4 a.m. as she waited to board a flight out of El Paso. The Movimiento Cosecha activist and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals beneficiary was carrying a work authorization document when detained, according to friends and colleagues who have started a GoFundMe account for their legal fees.

Movimiento Cosecha also posted on X video of Santiago’s encounter with Border Patrol agents at the airport.

“Xóchitl was accommodated by two Border Patrol agents […] as she was about to board a domestic flight for work. Despite presenting a valid DACA work authorization card offering proof of her protection from deportation, Border Patrol abducted and detained her without warrant or cause,” the organizer wrote on a GoFundMe page.

Santiago has since been transferred to a federal immigration processing center.

US Customs and Border Protection on Tuesday told Border Report Santiago is a “criminal illegal alien from Mexico.” She has previously been charged with trespassing, possession of narcotics and possession of drug paraphernalia, the federal agency said.

“Illegal aliens who claim to be recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals are not automatically protected from deportation. DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country,” CBP said in a statement. “Any illegal alien who is a DACA recipient may be subject to arrest and deportation for a number of reasons, including if they’ve committed a crime.”

Separately, one federal official pointed out that all foreign nationals present in the U.S. must always carry valid, up-to-date proof of immigration status and that a work permit by itself does not meet that requirement.