California parole agent allegedly tricks transgender woman into leaving home, leading to arrest by ICE agents
Parole agent's move could lead to deportation
A parole agent's move could lead to a transgender woman being deported.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - What seemed like a routine request quickly unraveled into a calculated trap.
"I just need you to sign... and I go, and that's it," Natalie Marinero was told.
Those were the words a California parole agent used to lure Marinero, a transgender woman from El Salvador, out of her home on January 26. But waiting outside were ICE agents, ready to take her into custody.
Susan Burton, founder of A New Way of Life, expressed outrage at the deception.
"It's hard to find the words to say how the government called here, tricked Natalie, and lured her outside where ICE was waiting for her," Burton said.
Marinero had been living at A New Way of Life, a facility supporting formerly incarcerated women. She was rebuilding her life after serving 17 and a half years in California state prison for a second-degree murder conviction in 2005.
Burton lamented the abrupt end to Marinero's fresh start.
"Natalie got caught in a bad situation where she was at the wrong place at the wrong time. She paid her debt to society, and now she was trying to start anew."
Susan Hefner, the housing supervisor, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing Marinero's efforts to turn her life around.
"Natalie paid her debt, yeah, and she's been making great choices, really working on herself, internally, externally, like the whole package."
Marinero, known for her dedication and kindness, had even built a community garden at A New Way of Life. Hefner described her as a compassionate and integral part of their community.
"We love her. We're family," she said.
Now detained in Otay Mesa, Marinero faces deportation back to El Salvador, a country where she fears for her life.
"They told me I was getting deported," Marinero recounted in a phone call. "I said, 'You can't deport me. I'm going to get tortured in my country.'"
Burton voiced deep concern over Marinero's fate. She said, "I am so saddened by ICE coming and taking Natalie away. It's just horrifying to think of what will happen to her if they return her to El Salvador."
As Marinero fights for asylum, advocates say her case highlights ongoing concerns over ICE tactics and the treatment of transgender detainees facing persecution abroad.