Local immigration advocates are fighting on behalf of an undocumented Hartford woman who has been detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials.
Wayzaro Walton was picked up by ICE agents after she participated in an immigration check-in Tuesday, March 26. Walton came to the United States from the United Kingdom when she was four. Her attorney said that she lost her permanent resident status in 2012 after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor larceny charge. She was then given a removal order.
Walton is referred to as a “convicted felon” in correspondence sent to Connecticut Public Radio by ICE. Her one-year misdemeanor sentence can be regarded by federal officials as an aggravated felony.
Supporters rallied in honor of Walton outside of the Abraham A. Ribicoff Federal Building in Hartford one day after she was detained.
“Right now, we know that her family and advocates are working hard -- working with different government officials -- to gather documents and other evidence to secure Wayzaro's freedom and to make sure that she isn't sent back," said Alok Bhatt, a member of the Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance.
Walton’s attorney said that she was granted a pardon that expunged convictions from her record.
But an ICE official said that the pardon won’t impact Walton’s removal order. The agency said that she’ll be in ICE custody until her scheduled removal.
Walton would leave behind a wife and child in Connecticut.
