MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee teacher's aide and mother of two has self-deported to El Salvador after receiving notice that her temporary stay in the United States was denied.
On Tuesday, Yessenia Ruano and her family departed from Milwaukee Mitchell Airport in what witnesses described as an emotional farewell.
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Despite previously being granted a temporary stay while waiting for her human trafficking visa to be processed, Ruano received a letter last week informing her that her stay was denied and she needed to leave the country.
The departure marks the latest development in what Ruano describes as an emotionally and financially exhausting back-and-forth process with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding her immigration status.
Ruano says that at the beginning of the year, DHS officials instructed her to return to El Salvador; she had been living without legal status. Ruano said she fled the country due to poverty, trafficking and fears for her personal safety.
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"I don't have idea because El Salvador is different than when I came 14 years ago, and I have to be there to process—to begin a new ... to start a new beginning," Ruano said.
Tuesday morning, Fellow teachers from the ALBA School, representatives from the teachers union, members of Voces de la Frontera, and family members gathered at the airport to support Ruano, with many shedding tears as she departed.
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For now, Ruano and her family will be staying with her mother in El Salvador, though their long-term plans remain uncertain.
Despite the challenges, Ruano remains hopeful that she and her daughters will someday be able to return to the United States.
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