Margarita Cielo Balbuena called for amnesty and an end to ICE raids, sparking backlash online

An illegal immigrant who says she has lived in the United States for 37 years ignited a fierce online backlash after demanding a pathway to citizenship while appearing alongside prominent Democratic lawmakers.

Speaking in Spanish through an interpreter, Margarita Cielo Balbuena called on House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Rep. Rob Menendez, D-N.J., and other lawmakers to support changes to federal immigration law.

“I ask that you be champions of a change in the immigration laws,” Balbuena said. “We need a path to citizenship for those of us that have been present for at least seven years in this country.”

She also demanded an end to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Dover, New Jersey, accusing the agency of terrorizing the local immigrant community.

A video of Balbuena’s remarks circulated widely online Wednesday, drawing strong reactions from both immigration activists and critics of illegal immigration.

Balbuena said she has lived in the United States since 1989 and argued that her lengthy residence, tax payments, homeownership and business activities should be considered in determining her legal status.

“It is not just that someone like me, who has been in this country since 1989, who pays taxes, who is a homeowner, who is a business owner who gives work to others, someone who has children and grandchildren who are born in this country—that I have to suffer the psychological and physical abuse,” she said.

Balbuena said she was detained at ICE’s Elizabeth Detention Center for two months and claimed that she was subjected to humiliating and inhumane treatment.

Her demands received little sympathy from opponents of illegal immigration, many of whom questioned why she had not obtained legal status during her nearly four decades in the country.

Former Customs and Border Protection commander-at-large Gregory Bovino accused Balbuena of displaying “arrogance” and “entitlement” by demanding citizenship for herself and others who have remained in the country illegally for at least seven years.

Bovino argued that years of lax immigration enforcement had allowed large numbers of people to enter or remain in the United States without being required to assimilate.

“There can be no amnesty and there can be no exceptions,” the John Birch Society wrote in response to the video. “All illegals must go.”

Actor Matthew Marsden similarly called for Balbuena’s immediate deportation, arguing that a country has the right to enforce its borders and remove people without legal authorization to remain.

Jeffries, meanwhile, used the event to demand the closure of Delaney Hall, an ICE detention facility in New Jersey that has become the focus of repeated demonstrations.

“Delaney Hall needs to be shut down,” Jeffries said. “That will remain a high priority for us until it takes place.”

Jeffries accused ICE of engaging in conduct that is inconsistent with American values.

The White House rejected that criticism, arguing that attacks by Democratic politicians have contributed to increasing threats and violence against immigration officers.

“Our ICE officers are heroes who put their lives on the line to arrest murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members and terrorists from American communities,” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said. “Democrats must stop demonizing our officers for simply enforcing our nation’s laws.”

Balbuena’s appearance has become the latest flashpoint in the national immigration debate, pitting supporters of amnesty for longtime residents against those who argue that remaining in the country illegally for decades should not create an automatic entitlement to citizenship.

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