Santa Cruz resident Cliona Ward released from Washington detention center

Cheers and tears were on display Wednesday morning as community members got the news that Cliona Ward, a longtime Santa Cruz resident and union member detained last month by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, would be released later in the day from a detention center in Washington state. 

Friends, family and fellow members of the Service Employees International Union had gathered outside the Santa Cruz County courthouse Wednesday morning in support of Ward, an event that coincided with her first immigration court hearing in Tacoma, Washington. 

Ward, 54, is an Irish citizen and U.S. permanent resident who has lived in Santa Cruz for 30 years. She was detained on April 21 at San Francisco International Airport after presenting documents to prove that her previous criminal charges had been expunged by the state; customs officials had briefly detained Ward upon her return from an earlier trip overseas because of her previous criminal history.

Around 8:30 a.m., Kayla Gomez, political organizer for the SEIU’s South Bay and Central Coast chapters, announced to a group of about 10 people that Ward was set to be released. Gomez said she received the news from the union’s statewide field director, Sergio Donis, who had been in communication with Ward’s attorney. Gomez did not at the time have any additional details about Ward’s release. 

“CLIONA IS FREE,” Ward’s sister, Orla Holladay, wrote Wednesday afternoon on a GoFundMe page where she has been posting daily updates about Ward’s situation. 

Holladay wrote that the first thing Ward asked for upon her release was food, and that once she got to the place where she is staying, “the first thing she did was jump on the bed and hug the pillows” before taking a shower.

“She is in shock; filled with emotions, traumatized, full of gratitude, fear for the women she left behind,” Holladay wrote.

A person familiar with the proceedings – whom Lookout is choosing not to name because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case – said it would take a few hours for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to process the judge’s decision and release Ward from the detention center. Ward can return to Santa Cruz now that she’s been released. 

Following Wednesday’s hearing, Ward’s immigration case is officially closed. The Santa Cruz resident was granted post-conviction relief by Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeffrey Rosell, overturning her previous criminal charges, which allowed the judge in Tacoma to terminate Ward’s deportation proceedings. 

“I’m so happy. I just can’t believe it,” said longtime friend Hettie Stratton, who burst into tears upon hearing Gomez’s announcement outside the Santa Cruz courthouse Wednesday morning. Stratton said it was the best news she could’ve received, and had really hoped this would be the outcome. “It’s just amazing. I’m just so touched we got here so quickly,” she said. 

Local union organizer Providenica M. Alaniz said the news feels as though Ward’s supporters “just got blessed with a big bucket of water.” Alaniz said she feels better after hearing the news and knowing Ward will be able to reunite with her family soon. 

Rep. Jimmy Panetta said in a statement Wednesday that Ward’s release demonstrates what can happen when people come together to fight for transparency, due process and justice.

Panetta said he has been working with Ward’s attorneys throughout the past two weeks to ensure the judge hearing her case would “do the right thing.”

Panetta added that Ward’s case is an example of the Trump administration “doing the wrong thing when it comes to its overreaching deportation policies” that affect people like Ward.

Wednesday morning’s rally drew around 80 community and union members to support Ward and her family. Organizers also coordinated a gathering in Tacoma outside of the detention center where Ward has been held. 

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FOR THE RECORD: This story has been updated with additional details about Ward’s case and statements from Rep. Jimmy Panetta and Ward’s sister, Orla Holladay.

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