Miami Valedictorian Meets with U.S. Senator After Deportation Order

The North Miami High School valedictorian who was threatened with deportation, Daniela Pelaez, is in the capital today.

Daniela Pelaez met with U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson, Marco Rubio and U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami, among others.

More than 2,600 students, teachers and community members protested after an immigration judge decided to deport Pelaez.

Her lawyer, Nera Shefer, told the Miami Herald that Daniela and her sister, Dayana, were given a deferred action for two years, meaning federal immigration authorities will not carry out any deportation order during that time.

Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho was among the crowd that protested the judge’s initial order. He said, “as we celebrate this temporary win for her, we must insist on a national dialogue that will at once end the plight of deserving children who live in constant fear of a very uncertain future.”