Stop the deportation of Bellevue Hospital Trauma Nurse Petranka Stoeva

My name is Kate Chaltain and I am the attorney for Bellevue Hospital trauma nurse Petranka Stoeva—who was just told by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that she must self-deport in 90 days.

My client Petranka works legally as a trauma nurse at New York City's Bellevue Hospital's emergency department where she has treated countless law enforcement officers, tourists to NYC, and New Yorkers requiring critical emergency treatment.

While right-wing politicians have been busy railing against immigrants on Twitter, Petranka has been providing a vital public benefit through her work as a trauma nurse. Her story, like so many immigrant stories, is part of what makes America resilient and strong. Not only that, her case is clear-cut: She has no criminal history, pays taxes, is the single-mother of a U.S. citizen daughter, and possesses nursing skills that are desperately needed in the United States. She is also in the process of applying for an employment-based green card sponsored by Bellevue Hospital—yet ICE has told her that she should permanently leave the United States by February 6, 2018!

Deporting Petranka will take away a vital member of the Bellevue trauma team and an important member of our community at a time when we have so much more to gain by standing united.