Local News

The mother from Guatemala was put on ICE's radar in 2013 during a traffic stop in which her attorney said she was racially profiled by a security worker and later arrested.

A Lynn mother and educator who was facing deportation received word Monday that she will be permitted to remain in the United States for the time being. 

Mariola, a paraprofessional at a Lynn elementary school and member of the Lynn Teacher’s Union, came to the U.S. from Guatemala 16 years ago after facing “discrimination, exploitation, poverty, and abuse” due to her indigenous Mayan identity, according to a petition organized in her support.

Following an appointment with ICE earlier this year, Mariola was told to return for a check-in this past Monday and advised to prepare for potential detention and removal. However, she was met with good news.

“Despite previous statements by ICE that Mariola would be detained at her May 11 check-in, she was ultimately allowed to leave freely and is back with her son, in the community that rallied behind her these last few weeks,” Mariola’s attorney, Alec Peters Larson of Greater Boston Legal Services, said in a statement. 

During the Monday appointment, Mariola was informed that she will receive a “Reasonable Fear Interview,” Peters Larson said. This interview, which Mariola had requested over a year ago, is used to determine if there is a “significant possibility” that an individual can establish eligibility for asylum or other fear-based relief. 

Mariola fled Guatemala after she was threatened while pregnant. She had previously survived the country’s civil war and witnessed an attempt on her father’s life, according to her advocates. 

“Mariola welcomes this opportunity to tell her story of why she fled Guatemala, where she and her family are subjected to systemic violence and abuse simply because they’re indigenous, and why she fears returning,” Peters Larson said. 

Her next scheduled check-in with immigration officials is set for November. 

Mariola was put on ICE’s radar in 2013 during a traffic stop in which Peters Larson said she was racially profiled by a security worker and later arrested. She has no convictions, according to her attorney. 

Over the past 16 years, Mariola learned English and earned an associate’s degree while raising her son, a 15-year-old U.S. citizen, as a single mom in Lynn. She is working towards earning a bachelor’s degree at Salem State University, according to advocates.

She has garnered support from the Lynn community, with Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson and the Lynn city councilors signing a letter late last month urging officials to rethink her deportation.

Nicholson, American Federation of Teachers President Jessica Tang, and community members and educators additionally joined Mariola for a rally May 6 ahead of her meeting with immigration enforcement officials. 

Editor’s note: Boston.com has omitted Mariola’s last name at her request, citing concerns over potential harassment.