- Marta Renderos Leiva, a Salvadoran immigrant detained last week at the Salt Lake City airport, is still in shock, her sister says.
- Federal authorities label her an "illegal alien." Her sister says she had a work permit and had sought asylum.
- Renderos, the mother of four who was living in Bountiful, is being held at the Salt Lake County Jail.
BOUNTIFUL — It's been five days since the dramatic arrest of Marta Renderos Leiva at Salt Lake City International Airport, and she's still trying to understand exactly what happened, says the woman's sister.
She's also sought legal help as she contends with the situation.
"She's still in shock," said Abigail Renderos, who was with her sister last Wednesday, Oct. 29, when four Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents took the woman, originally from El Salvador, into custody. The arrest transpired before the women entered the secure area of the airport, and it was caught on video by another traveler at the airport and posted to social media, garnering widespread attention.
The agents "didn't say anything. I asked them who they were, why they were arresting her. They never identified themselves; they never said anything," said Abigail Renderos. The two women were traveling alone, planning to fly to Maryland to visit family. Abigail Renderos was not detained.
The video, showing Marta Renderos struggling with two agents detaining her and pleading for help, prompted backlash from Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and others. Mendenhall said she was "left wondering and aching from the fear and pain these types of operations keep striking in my heart and the hearts of so many of us." While the Renderos sisters may have been confused about what was happening, the agents involved showed a Salt Lake City police officer at the scene their federal identification.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said authorities had issued an order in absentia to deport Abigail Renderos in 2020 and labeled her an "illegal alien." Her arrest comes amid the unfolding crackdown on illegal immigration pursued by President Donald Trump and his administration and similar actions around the country against other immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally.
Abigail Renderos, for her part, said her sister had applied for asylum and was doing what she could to regularize her status in the country. Marta Renderos had a permit to work in the United States, issued in 2024 and good through 2029, and never received any formal notification that she faced deportation or had to check in with immigration authorities.
"If she would have received it, she would have gone because she's very responsible about those things," Abigail Renderos said. She's created a GoFundMe* account to raise funds to help with legal expenses as the family contends with the situation.
Marta Renderos' attorney, Adam Crayk, says hers is a complex case. Yes, she had a valid work permit, but the deportation order, signed by a judge, supersedes that. Likewise, while she initially crossed the U.S. border without legal documentation, a misdemeanor, his client was never tried for that alleged offense.
There's more to it, and Abigail Renderos was as surprised as her sister when the four agents descended on them at the airport last week. Two agents held Marta Renderos, one on each side, and they were accompanied by two other agents. "She didn't have problems with anyone. I was very confused. I was in shock as well because I didn't know what was happening," she said.
The online Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee locator lists Marta Renderos, 39, in its database, while the Salt Lake County Jail inmate roster identified her as of Monday as a federal detainee in the Salt Lake City facility.
'She's a good person'
Marta Renderos, who has been living in Bountiful, came to the United States from El Salvador in 2007, both her sister and U.S. officials say. Abigail Renderos said her older sister was prodded from El Salvador by political strife in the country, though she didn't provide specifics. Crayk said she initially came to escape abuse and domestic violence.
The woman has four U.S.-born kids, ages 17, 15, 14 and 11, and they are struggling with the turn of events. She's been able to speak to her sister by phone, Abigail Renderos said, and the four kids will be visiting her at the jail.
"My sister is responsible, a mother dedicated to her children. Many people can give good references about her, how she is — her children's teachers, neighbors," Abigail Renderos said. Family, friends and acquaintances agree, "she's a good person; she doesn't get in trouble. She's always tried to follow the laws."
Crayk said part of Renderos' issues with immigration officials stems from her ex-husband's move years ago to file for asylum for the both of them, aided by a notary, not an immigration attorney. The notary — not as versed in legal issues as an immigration attorney — listed a West Valley City address for Renderos, where she has never lived, and she never received the notices about the follow-up steps she needed to take to pursue asylum. Ultimately, a judge ordered her deportation, but she never got that notice either.
Now, Renderos' sister hopes for a thorough investigation "because it's not like what they're saying," she said. "I'm hoping they investigate things and realize she's not lying about what she's saying, that everything's the truth."
Crayk said he plans to argue that Leiva's deportation should be canceled and that she should be allowed to stay in the United States. For one thing, she was never notified about her asylum interview or deportation order, and notice is required under federal law. Moreover, he said, two of her children have serious health issues, and deporting her would cause undue harm to them.
Abigail Renderos also hopes the public factors in the toll the situation is having on the family. "The kids are the ones who are suffering the most in this case," she said.
Contributing: Adam Small
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
