N.J. Teen Held 52 Days in ICE Detention Starts College, Aiming to Become an Immigration Lawyer

Ariadna Zumba, 18, was detained on April 9 after visiting a friend held at the Elizabeth Detention Center, then moved to Delaney Hall in Newark, where she was held for 52 days before her release on June 1 — missing her senior prom and part of her final semester. Zumba, who came to the United States from Spain at age nine, holds Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and has no criminal record; while detained she joined a hunger strike and translated for other women. She received her Orange High School diploma in August and has enrolled at Essex County College, planning to transfer to Montclair State University and become an immigration lawyer. She has another ICE appointment in January.