RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has pardoned a minor driving offense committed years ago by an immigrant mother of two, saying he hopes this will help prevent her deportation by President Donald Trump's administration.
The case of 30-year-old Liliana Cruz Mendez of Falls Church has become emblematic of tougher immigration policies under Trump.
The advocacy group CASA said Cruz Mendez came to the U.S. from El Salvador a decade ago, and was stopped for a broken taillight in 2013. After receiving two deferrals from deportation in 2014 and 2015, she was arrested this month after going with her lawyer to a check-in appointment at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.
