People are calling for some undocumented immigrants to be released — and it's working

pulse

March 11, 2017 3:23 AM

"I think it’s really ICE exercising their discretion."

Daniela Vargas speaks about an immigration raid that picked up more than 50 alleged undocumented immigrants, including her father and brother, during a news conference Wednesday, March 1, 2017, at the Jackson, Miss.

On Friday afternoon, twenty-two-year-old Daniela Vargas was released from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Louisiana after her case made headlines across the nation.

-month visitor's visa in 2001. Shortly after speaking at an immigration press conference in front of Jackson City Hall in Mississippi last week, Vargas was detained by ICE officials

Following her detention, congressional leaders and civil-rights activists put a spotlight on Vargas' case.

"I think their morale has suffered because of the job they were hired to do, and then in their sense, they're ... kind of hobbled or, you know, hands tied behind their back, that kind of thing," Kelly said to the House Homeland Security Committee in an Associated Press report last month. "And now, they feel more positive about things. I bet if you watch the morale issue, you'll ... be surprised going forward."

The New York Times' Monica Davey chronicled the journey of

Audrey Loftus, a bartender at the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

Following The Times' report, a wave of support began pouring in and Carlos was released on a

Although the release of undocumented immigrants like Vargas and Carlos may indicate a softening of DHS policy, the fight for their unabated freedom is far from over. Mississippi Today reported that Vargas, for instance, was released under an order of supervision that merely releases her, for the time being, from ICE's custody but not from her outstanding order of removal from the US.

"Because that removal order is still there, (ICE) could enforce it at any point for whatever reason," said

"We will continue to fight any removal order that is being lodged against Daniela in this case," said .

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