Maria Cristina T.C.: Hearing-impaired 71-year-old great-grandmother held 10 months by ICE in Arizona
Maria Cristina Tapia Cornejo, 71, a great-grandmother with a hearing impairment and family ties in Arizona, has been held at Eloy Detention Center for over 10 months and is appealing her deportation order.
Jan 2026Arizona, AZ

Maria Cristina Tapia Cornejo, a 71-year-old undocumented immigrant, has been held at Eloy Detention Center for over 10 months following an ICE raid on Colt Grill restaurants in July 2025. Despite multiple requests for humanitarian release citing her age, hearing impairment, lack of criminal record, and deep family ties in Arizona, ICE has kept her detained. The restaurant owners who were arrested on charges of hiring undocumented workers were released and granted court-approved travel out of state while awaiting trial. An immigration judge ordered Tapia Cornejo's deportation in January 2026, and she is appealing while remaining in custody, citing safety concerns related to cartel violence in her hometown.
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- ICE holds Arizona great-grandma for months. Her ex-bosses remain free
- The Arizona Republic
- Why an Arizona great-grandma has been in ICE detention for 10 months
- Why has ICE held an AZ great-grandma, 71, in detention for 10 months?
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