After nine delayed immigration hearings, Olga Perez, a respected indigenous Guatemalan leader in Lake Worth Beach recently made a surprise visit from an immigration center in Arizona – before she's to be deported
Family and staff at the Guatemalan-Maya Center in Lake Worth Beach celebrated her temporary return.
Perez, who is undocumented, was an indigenous Mam language interpreter and community leader. That all changed when immigration authorities sent her to a detention center in Arizona.
"I'm so, so glad and happy to see them, but I'm still in shock. My mind is still in processing if it's real or not," Perez said. "The staffs, everybody. It's my family, my kids, so I'm so, so, so happy."
After six months in detention, she was released on her own recognizance pending voluntary deportation. That means the judge allowed her to leave detention while her case is pending. Supporters helped pay a $500 bond and her case is now closed.
She will leave behind four U.S.-born children — with one final court check-in before being sent to Guatemala, a place she hasn't seen in 30 years. But her voluntary departure allows her to potentially file for things like a tourist visa in the future and come back to the U.S.
READ MORE: Immigration court delays keep respected Lake Worth Beach mom detained, children in limbo
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