Judge to Rule on Marco Saavedra’s Asylum Case Next Year

In New York City, longtime immigration activist Marco Saavedra attended his final asylum hearing Thursday in which he argued his life would be at risk if he were sent to Mexico. The immigration judge overseeing Saavedra’s case will have a final decision by January 17, 2020. Saavedra has been living in the United States since he was 3 years old. He has been involved in several high-profile immigration actions. In 2012, he purposely got arrested by federal authorities in order to infiltrate GEO Group’s for-profit immigration jail, the Broward Transitional Center in Florida, and investigate allegations of human rights abuses inside the secretive facility. In 2013, Saavedra self-deported to Mexico with eight other DREAMers to protest the separation of immigrant families under the Obama administration. Click here to see our interview with Marco Saavedra before his final asylum hearing.