6
QUEENS WEEKLY, JULY 14, 2019
Pregnant mom freed from ICE
Queens Village mother of two had faced threat of deportation
ASTORIA TIMES ■ BAYSIDE TIMES
FLUSHING TIMES ■ FOREST HILLS LEDGER
FRESH MEADOWS TIMES
JACKSON HEIGHTS TIMES ■ JAMAICA TIMES
LAURELTON TIMES ■ LITTLE NECK LEDGER
QUEENS VILLAGE TIMES ■ RIDGEWOOD LEDGER
WHITESTONE TIMES
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EDITORIAL STAFF
Reporters: Bill Parry,
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BY JACOB KAYE
A Queens duo who led
police on an eight block
motorcycle chase and
attempted to burglarize a
Maspeth home was arrested
on July 2, according to a
criminal complaint filed
by the Queens District
Attorney’s office.
Police say they allegedly
observed Christopher
Hartung, 33, of Ridgewood,
leave the Maspeth home
with a screwdriver in his
hand as Diana Anderson,
41, of Bayside, stood watch,
according to charges.
Later, the homeowner
found that her lock had
been tampered with, the
complaint says.
The pair hopped on a
motorcycle and took off,
according to the DA’s
office, leading police on
a chase that lasted about
eight blocks. The chase
ended when Anderson got
off the bike and led the
officers on a foot chase
while Hartung sped off
on the motorcycle, the
complaint alleges.
According to the
complaint, Anderson was
apprehended soon after
getting off the bike.
Around 11 p.m. that
night, several hours after
his partner was arrested,
Hartung was spotted by
a police officer leaving a
convenience store about
a mile away from the
attempted burglary.
Charges say that
when the police officer
approached Hartung, the
alleged burglar took off
running and attempted to
fight the officer.
After being
apprehended by the
officer, Hartung was
allegedly found to have
cocaine, a pipe with
crack cocaine residue
inside and a can of pepper
spray in his pockets, the
complaint says.
BY BILL PARRY
A pregnant mother
of two was back home in
Queens Village on July
6 after her legal odyssey
took an unexpected twist.
Alma Centeno-
Santiago, 34, was released
from a Louisiana ICE
detention facility by the
Department of Homeland
Security and flown to JFK
International Airport,
where she was reunited
with her U.S. citizen
children, ages 3 and 11.
Ce n t eno - S a n t i a g o
was facing deportation
to her home country of
Guatemala until her
legal team from the New
York Legal Assistance
Group was granted a
Temporary Restraining
Order preventing her
removal until a hearing on
July 23.
Centeno-Santiago was
detained by ICE agents
outside of Queens Family
Court in April and then
fast-tracked to be deported
while suffering from a
difficult pregnancy.
“Alma’s case highlights
how immigrants’ rights
are too often violated.
We argued that while
in detention, Alma
advocated for her health
and that of her unborn
child and, in retaliation,
was placed into immediate
deportation,” said Melissa
Chua, associate director
on NYLAG’s Immigration
Protection Unit. “We also
argued that Alma was
denied due process of law
because she had never
had a chance to seek the
immigration relief we
believe she is entitled to.
We are glad that Alma
has been reunited with
her family and can now
get the necessary medical
care for herself and her
unborn child while we
seek that relief.”
An immigration
judge ordered Centeno-
Santiago to be deported
last December after
she failed to appear for
an immigration court
proceeding but her
lawyer argued that she
had not been properly
notified of her scheduled
court appearance.
Centeno-Santiago fled
Guatemala at the age of
18, and had a full-time
job at a restaurant in
Jamaica until ICE agents
detained her following a
hearing over the custody
of her children with
her ex-partner.
“While in ICE
custody, she experienced
a medically difficult
pregnancy. She advocated
for herself and her
unborn child because
ICE was denying her
proper food and medical
care,” said Jodi Ziesemer,
director of NYLAG’s
ImmigrationProtection
Unit. “However, instead
of providing her proper
nutrition and medical
care, ICE isolated Alma,
continued to deny her basic
care, and was indifferent
to her suffering and the
suffering of her family.
ICE routinely inflicts
maltreatment and abuse
on detained immigrants
who have fled from
violence and persecution
in their home countries.
But Alma and others
like her are not ‘illegal’
or ‘criminal,’ and they
deserve fair treatment.
Alma is no risk to
the community.”
QNS reached out to
ICE and is awaiting a
response. Meanwhile,
Jennifer Pacheco, a
close friend, spoke of the
family’s ordeal.
“The last few months
without Alma have been
overwhelmingly sad and
scary. We have lived a
nightmare that every
immigrant fears,” Pacheco
said. “During this difficult
time, our priority has
been the well-being of her
children who have missed
their mother terribly.
What she experienced
in ICE detention was
traumatic and we ask for
privacy at this time so
she can focus on healing
and being with her kids.
We hope that Alma’s
case highlights that real
people, real families with
U.S. citizen children are
being harmed by our
immigration system.”
Reach reporter Bill
Parry by email at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260–4538.
Photo via Getty Images
Alma Centeno-Santiago is released from ICE custody and
reunited with her son Angel and daughter Amy, both US
citizens. Courtesy of NYLAG
Maspeth burglars
cuffed after chase
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