Daughter released from Eloy, family reunites at church - Tucson News Now

A mother says she no longer needs to stay at a Catholic church in downtown Tucson because her daughter has returned to her.

Friends and family greeted Rosy Rojas at Saint AugustineCathedral Monday night. Her mother, Herminia Gallegos, had been staying in the church for weeks while Rojas was held at Eloy Detention Center.

Gallegos explained in a previous report that she and her two daughters crossed the border illegally asking for asylum. She said agents allowed her to be released to take care of her younger daughter while their paperwork processed. Rojas, a legal adult, had to be detained she said.

"It's a cold place," said Rojas. "But I fought inside so that I could be here with my mom and make my dreams a reality."

The mother appealed to the bishop who wrote a letter to the detention center, asking that the girl be released on bond. In the meantime, Rojas wrote her own letters to Gallegos.

"I always put my heart into writing cards," she said standing next to her mother. "I wanted to say that I love her. I wasn't there to say it, but I could put it in writing."

Monday night Rojas returned to her family after her release on a $6,500 bond her mother said. Now that the family is back together, they do not plan to separate again.

Gallegos said they'll travel to Mesa to visit family while their paperwork processes.

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