EL PASO, Texas — A woman who survived a mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, nearly 18 months ago has been deported, according to the Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services.
The legal aid clinic said that the woman, who was only identified as “Rosa” to protect her identity, was arrested Wednesday in El Paso for two outstanding citations from 2015 after a traffic stop, KVIA reported.
The woman was booked into the El Paso County Jail Annex and transferred to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which deported her to Cuidad Juarez on Friday morning, the television station reported.
According to the Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services, Rosa, who survived the shooting at the Walmart on Aug. 3, 2019, has been in contact with the El Paso District Attorney’s Office to serve as a witness in the case against the shooter. Twenty-three people were killed and dozens were injured in the shooting spree at the store, which is located at the Cielo Vista Mall.
#Breaking -- The El Paso Catholic Diocese says a woman who survived the Aug. 3, 2019 Cielo Vista Walmart mass shooting was deported to Juarez today by federal authorities after being pulled over in a car for traffic violations. https://t.co/eVWqgty6vn
— KVIA ABC-7 News (@abc7breaking) January 29, 2021
According to federal prosecutors, Patrick Crusius, 22, faces 23 counts of hate crimes resulting in death, 23 counts of use of a firearm to commit murder during and in relation to a crime of violence, 22 counts of hate crimes involving an attempt to kill and 22 counts of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
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The Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Service noted that Rosa has no criminal history other than the two traffic citations, which were issued more than five years ago.
“Rosa is a survivor of one of the most horrific events to ever take place in El Paso. She came forward and presented herself to both El Paso police and FBI officials to give a statement of what she saw on that fateful day,” Anna Hey, who serves as the deputy director of the legal clinic, said in a statement. “The information she has was sufficient for the District Attorney’s office to issue a certification that she has been helpful in the investigation.”
Hey said ICE officials deporting Rosa, and “leaving her unsupported in Juarez,” is a blow.
“This decision amounts to a re-victimization of this young lady, who only came forward to help build the case against the shooter in the racist attack,” Hey said.
Cox Media Group
