ICE releases Houston woman after 41 days in federal custody

Joceline Penaloza, a 24-year-old resident of southwest Houston, is out of federal detention after spending 41 days in immigration custody. Her legal team secured an immigration bond on Tuesday, allowing her to leave while her case continues in court. She was initially held at the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe before being moved to the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, California.

Her detention began following a routine traffic stop on August 19. A Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputy stopped her near Highway 6 and Westheimer Road in the Eldridge/West Oaks area because her vehicle was partially stopped in an intersection. According to her sister, Cynthia Penaloza, Joceline was driving home from work at the time. She was forced to wait on the scene for more than an hour until Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrived to place her under arrest.

Joceline has lived in the United States for nearly 20 years. She arrived from Mexico in 2007 at approximately age five. Her sister says she graduated in the top 10% of her high school class. Despite her academic performance, her undocumented status prevented her from attending college. "She's a very smart person, and I know if she would have gotten the opportunity to study and go to college, it would have been better for her," Cynthia said. "Because she's undocumented, she wasn't able to."

The family emphasizes that Joceline has never had a criminal conviction or even a traffic citation. Cynthia noted that her sister needed to drive to work to support the family. "I just want to tell her story because I know that she didn't deserve it," Cynthia said. "You know, she was just coming from work. She's not like a criminal."

Attorney Kim Bruno confirmed the release via a bond. Bruno stated that the legal team met specific requirements to prove Penaloza was not a flight risk, a danger to the community, or a threat to national security. "She still has the charges that immigration gave her, but it's getting her out of detention because we go through the qualifying requirements," Bruno said. The bond allows her to proceed with immigration relief from outside of detention.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has not yet released details about the deputy involved in the stop. The Department of Homeland Security and ICE have also not provided a formal statement in response to inquiries. The legal team continues to represent Penaloza as her case moves through the federal immigration courts.