A Pennsylvania grandfather who cooperated with police investigating his daughter’s murder now sits in federal detention awaiting deportation, despite qualifying for a visa program designed to protect immigrants who assist law enforcement.
Family Tragedy Turns to Federal Action
Erasmo Zavala Almanza faced unimaginable loss last February when his 20-year-old daughter, Selena Zavala Hernandez, was fatally shot in Reading, Pennsylvania. The shooter, identified as the father of Selena’s newborn daughter, also shot the infant in the abdomen before taking his own life. The baby survived after emergency surgery and months of hospitalization.
Almanza, 50, traveled between work and the hospital to care for his recovering granddaughter. He and his wife later obtained legal guardianship of the child. Throughout this period, Almanza provided information to police investigating the homicide. The Berks County District Attorney’s Office recognized his cooperation by signing off on U visa applications for both Almanza and his wife.
Detention Despite Visa Application
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Almanza at his Temple home last month. He now sits in a Clearfield County detention facility facing possible deportation to Mexico. The U visa program, created in 2000, offers undocumented immigrants a path to legal residency when they assist law enforcement with investigations into domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, and other serious crimes.
Almanza’s attorney called the arrest absolutely atrocious, arguing that ICE’s actions will discourage other immigrants from cooperating with police. The case reflects broader changes in ICE policy under President Donald Trump, including rollback of previous guidance that discouraged detaining crime victims or key witnesses.
Immigration History and Legal Status
Court records show Almanza and his wife entered the United States illegally in 2004, eventually settling in Pennsylvania. He worked in landscaping and roofing with no criminal record. In 2010, an immigration judge granted them voluntary departure, allowing them to leave without formal deportation. Almanza overstayed that deadline by more than a year before returning to Mexico, then reentered the country in 2015 or 2016.
The intersection of immigration enforcement and criminal investigations raises questions about whether families will continue assisting police when doing so exposes them to deportation. Almanza’s wife told reporters he always provided information when police needed it during their investigation.
Does this make sense?
This does not make sense. The USA needs immigrants. With the falling birth rate, who will be available to support social security? But aside from that pracrical reason, we need immigrants because they bring beauty, texture, intelligence to our nation. If a person has the energy and”get up and go” to leave their country and come to ours, they have the energy and get- up-and -go to get a job and succeed in the USA. I have known newly arrived immigrants who have been wonderful care givers for elderly and infirm,and wonderful childcare workers, and have excelled in other entry level jobs. They tend to be very education minded and their childen do well as they grow up. I know many people who are the children of immigrants and who have very responsible positions in the work world. I also know first generation immigrants who are finally getting an opportunity for the education their brilliance requires and who are pursuing positions in the fields of medicine and they will help with the shortage of medical doctors in so many locations in this country. It is unfortunate that President Trump has an ignorant attitude toward immigrants, even though his grandfather was an immigrant. But it is unfortunte that Trump, a rather ignorant and narrow minded and self aggandizing person, is president. His actions are self serving, not at all in the interest of the nation’s well being. I fear for the younger generation.
“a rather ignorant and narrow minded and self aggandizing person” Well, thanks for your personal revelation.
I know a lot of great immigrants too – LEGAL immigrants – and that’s the way it was before and the way it should remain. Too bad Trump is enforcing the law. If our last president hadn’t opened the flood gates there wouldn’t have been a mess for Trump to clean up.