Family of Martha Gutierrez prays in Pilsen, Chicago, Illinois, for her return from immigration detention

Family members of Martha Gutierrez prayed in Pilsen on Monday night, hoping for her return home from federal immigration detention. Her final hearing is scheduled for Tuesday morning in Kentucky, where she will learn whether she is allowed to stay or will be deported to Mexico, a country she has not lived in for four decades.

“In Mexico there is no home for her. Her home is here. Her people are here,” said Gutierrez’s 21-year-old daughter, Marina Elena. Through tears, 10-year-old Nathalie shared a message for her mother, whom she has not been able to hug in months. “I love her so much, and that I miss her,” she said.

Another daughter, Crystal Serrano, told NBC Chicago: “I ask the judge to see her as a person, as a mom, as a grandma, as a daughter.” Her request to see Gutierrez as a whole person, and not only as a case file, reflects a plea for fair and humane consideration.

Gutierrez was arrested in February at Midway Airport. According to the report, she has been a permanent resident for decades, but two retail theft convictions, from 1999 and 2004, flagged her for removal under the Trump administration. Pastor Julie Contreras said Gutierrez had stolen some blouses and jeans while fleeing a domestic violence situation with her daughters. Those details are her account and have not been independently confirmed in the supplied material.

Contreras, of United Giving Hope, said, “There are thousands across our nation today that sadly are in this horrific predicament,” and added, “Donald Trump needs to go and look for the real criminals.”

On “60 Minutes” on Sunday, Trump touted many of his administration’s deportations and praised what he called “closing the border,” but he also acknowledged that his immigration enforcement hurt his party in the midterms. “I think it may be too tough yeah. And a lot of people might say it’s great. But a lot of people think it’s too tough,” he said.

Trump also appointed Stephen Miller as his new chief of staff. In May, two sources told NBC News that Miller threatened to fire senior ICE officials over arrest numbers he saw as too low, and an immigration enforcement ramp-up followed. Gutierrez’s family is praying for a change of course for them and for other families in similar situations. “I just hope that she can come home for her birthday, which is Dec. 8. And I’m sure that would be my whole family’s greatest gift, having her back home,” said Maria Elena.

Source: Read the original report