A mother who has lived in the US since she was a child was detained during a green card interview and now faces deportation for missing a court hearing decades ago.
RosmeryAlvarado applied for permanent residency after her husband, NixonAlvarado, became a US citizen on March 19 and had her first interview on Wednesday.
Her daughterCarina Moran said she waited at theUnited States Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Kansas City while her parents went inside.
'I sat outside expecting both of them to walk out later. After an hour, I watched my dad and lawyer walk out without my mom,' she said.
'We were lied to, and our family has been torn apart.'
Rosmery was born inGuatemala and Nixon arrived from El Salvador when he was 18. Their four children are all American citizens, and the family livesin Pittsburg, Kansas.
Moran believes the interview was a trap to detain Rosmery, and claimed USCIS officers let Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into the office.
Rosmery Alvarado (pictured with her husband Nixon)was detained during an interview for a green card and faces deportation
Rosmerry with her four children, who were all born in the US
She explained that her father told her the officers seemed satisfied with her application, and told them 'everything looks good for you two, and things will be OK'.
'My dad was asked to step out of the office where my mom was sitting. The second he did, she was detained by two immigration officers,' Moran said.
'She was taken out the back side of the building and put into a white van. All we could do was watch.'
The mother-of-four isbeing held at an ICE facility hours away from home and her family were told she would be deported toGuatemala within three days.
Why Rosmery was detained and was subject to a deportation order is not entirely clear.
Moran told WDAF that her mother's lawyer said the problem stemmed from Rosmery failing to appear in court when she was a minor, but didn't elaborate.
'We thought we had all of our defenses, we had the evidence, we had everything we were prepared, everyone in my family is a citizen. I thought that would protect her,' she told the local station.
Moran wrote online that she 'never claimed my mother to be perfect' and cryptically alluded to a vaguely troubled history.
'Despite my mother's past, she's always done everything to protect her children and I will always stand by that,' she wrote.
'My siblings and I have been hurt countless times growing up and my parents have always been our protectors.
'We are a normal family and normal people that make mistakes everyday, but we have worked through every rough moment to stay together.
'My mom will always be the most kind hearted, hardworking, funny, and loving woman I know. She's protected us from the moment she knew of us and I wish I could do more to protect her at this time.'
DailyMail.com attempted to contact Moran for clarification.
Rosmery Alvarado applied after her husband, Nixon Alvarado, became a US citizen on March 19 (pictured after his citizenship ceremony)
Rosmery's daughterCarina Moran described how she waited outside theUSCIS office for her parents to return, only to see her mother bundled into a white van by ICE
Her lawyer filed a deportation stop that, if approved, would allow Rosmery to return home to fight her removal. If not, she will be deported.
Moran said until then, her family could only speak to her remotely.
'I will not get to hug my mom or say goodbye, my siblings won't get to either, and my dad has to take on all of her responsibilities alone,' she said.
'I am heartbroken that she will not watch us graduate, she won't be there during the most important moments of our lives and I won't get to share my first experiences with her anymore.
'I will miss her every day because I can't see or hear her. I didn't realize how much I need her every day.
'I never thought this would happen to my family and I feel completely lost and angry that we can't do more for her right now other than wait.'
Moran said her family members went to school, worked jobs, participated in their community, and'do everything every other family does in Pittsburg'.
'We are just normal people trying to live a normal life in our small town,' she said.
Moran started a fundraiser to pay for her mother's legal defense, which has $8,700 in donations so far.
If Rosmery is deported, the funds will pay for somewhere to live inGuatemala, shipping her possessions there, andmedical care for her diabetes and tumor treatments.
ICE is yet to comment specifically on Rosmery's situation.
