Domestic-violence victim calls 911 and is nearly deported

For decades the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. and the Los Angeles Police Dept. have told the immigrant community to come forward if they witness a crime or are victimized in a crime, that they wouldn't won't be questioned about immigration status.

But now there is processing procedure in the jails that sends suspect information directly to the feds, even if their detention turned out to be a mistake.

Isaura Garcia, a 20-year-old undocumented immigrant, describes a living nightmare. The beatings from her live-in boyfriend, Ricardo, also undocumented, who one night was so drunk he was allegedly involved in a fatal DUI accident.

Ricardo is in jail facing charges of manslaughter. But because of recent immigration law, it was Isaura, not Ricardo, who first hit the radar of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Isaura was arrested in a confusing incident of suspected domestic violence.

In processing, just like everyone arrested now, her fingerprints were sent to the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security as part of the ICE Secure Communities program. A match verified she was undocumented. The deportation process was begun, even though she was cleared of any wrongdoing.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and immigrant rights organizations say that instant processing, regardless of the circumstances, violates trust long sought between the community and law enforcement.

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