Victory: Jennifer Abreu Is Out of Detention

When Jennifer Abreu was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on November 15, 2010, and faced deportation back to Brazil, she had no idea whether she would ever see her family and friends again.

She knew her life was in danger. Her brother had voluntarily deported himself back to Brazil two years ago and tragically died at the hands of a street gang.

But thanks to your calls and over 1,500 emails, and the hard-work of the Kentucky DREAM Team, Jennifer will now get to spend her 19th birthday and Thanksgiving with her family. She was released from detention at 1pm today.

Jennifer has a message for everyone who signed the petition, made calls, and supported her through this tough time. “I just want to thank everyone for their help and their words of hope. Hope and faith in God has helped me through it in here, as well as the love and attention from everyone. I don’t know if things happen for a reason, but if so, I’ve learn from this experience. I hope no one else goes through this, so let’s work hard to get the DREAM Act passed!”

Jennifer is right. After Thanksgiving, it’s time to turn the lame duck period into mighty duck and finally pass the DREAM Act so students like Jennifer don’t need to face the test of detention and deportation away from their friends, families and homes.

Photo and Video Credit: Please Keep Jennifer Abreu At Home Facebook Group / KentuckyDreamChannel