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Faith and community leaders are calling for the release of a woman who was detained by ICE

Maria Marta Rodriguez is an undocumented immigrant from Honduras. She lived with two of her children in New Carrollton, Maryland.
Credit: EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ/AFP/Getty Images
Demonstrators cross the Brooklyn Bridge during a march against the separation of immigrant families, on June 30, 2018 in New York.

WASHINGTON -- Faith and community leaders are calling for the release of a woman who was detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Maria Marta Rodriguez is an undocumented immigrant from Honduras. She lived with two of her children in New Carrollton, Maryland.

She came to the United States in 2005, illegally. For the past nine years, she has checked in with ICE. She said she was seeking asylum from gangs and an abusive relationship. Rodriguez was hoping to have more time in the United States.

RELATED: Immigrant family lives in constant fear of deportation

"I'm scared for going inside," she said before she went into Federal ICE building in Baltimore.

After about an hour, the crowd outside is told she was detained until she can be sent back to Honduras. Once there she will wait 10 years to try to legally return, according to her lawyer.

In the fiscal year 2017, ICE reported that they detained more than 143,000 people. That is the highest number over the past three years.

"This is another example of how this administration is separating families," said Omar Angel Perez, lead organizer for LA RED/Faith In Action.

Not everyone agrees.

"That's how the system works," exclaimed a man who happened to see the crowd. "It's the same way around the world."

Rodriguez's case is not unique, and some may be asking why-- after nine years -- had she not applied for citizenship. Well, it's not that easy.

The process of getting a green card in order to become a citizen is long and hard. And sometimes before you reach the starting line, your time runs out.

In Rodriguez's case, she needed to be living in the US for at least five years with a green card. That is a government-issued ID that would give someone like Rodriguez permission to work and live in the US.

For Rodriguez to get a green card she needs to be sponsored by a close relative, like her children, and they would need to be 21 or older.

At this point, her daughter cannot help.

Yessenia Cedillo was born here, and is an American citizen.

But, she is still 6 days away from twenty-first birthday.

Faith in Action – one of the groups calling her Rodriguez's release -- says they are going to continue to support Rodriguez's efforts.

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