Andrea Pedro Francisco was scheduled to have surgery in Minnesota to remove an ovarian cyst, but 6 days before the scheduled surgery date, the 23-year-old was arrested by immigration agents and sent to an El Paso detention center. Pedro Francisco came from Guatemala to the U.S. at the age of 16. She has a pending asylum claim, based on violence faced by women and Indigenous people in her home country.
As the cyst grows, it is in danger of rupturing, which would be life-threatening. Pedro Francisco’s attorney has asked ICE to release her on humanitarian parole, a discretionary power the agency has for detainees facing medical issues.
Humanitarian parole is likely Pedro Francisco’s only hope. Her case has caught the attention of international human rights groups, members of Congress, and religious groups from her home state of Minnesota.
Support Andrea through Amnesty International.