by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
Chao Sio, a Kenyan lecturer at UNM, did not think she was doing anything wrong until Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents arrested her on Sept. 14, said her friend and co-worker Ann Githinji.
"She is not a criminal, and she was not hiding," Githinji said. "If she was hiding, she would not have been teaching and helping with all those organizations."
Sio is detained and waiting to be deported to Kenya, said Leticia Zamarripa, ICE spokeswoman.
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She could not give any further details, she said.
Christine Rack, Sio's colleague and friend, said Sio is being held at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center.
Githinji said Sio tried to do everything by the book.
Sio came to the U.S. on a student visa about seven years ago, Githinji said. When the visa neared expiration, Sio applied for political asylum, Githinji said.
When her application was denied, she appealed, Githinji said.
Sio's appeal was denied, and she asked her lawyer to file another appeal, Githinji said.
Sio's lawyer quit the law firm and moved without telling her or giving her case to someone else, Githinji said.
"By her understanding, she was legal to be here," Githinji said. "Unfortunately, all the correspondence about immigration was going to her lawyer's office, so she had no idea what was going on."
Sio taught Swahili and a course about refugee health and development. She was involved in several programs, including Women Can International and Fighting AIDS in the Homeland.
Jessica Goodkind, who helped Sio teach the refugee class, said she is looking for an attorney for Sio but has not found one yet.
"I'm not sure what I can put on the record at this point," she said. "I think that she will have representation within days."
Goodkind said UNM should help Sio find a lawyer.
"We certainly hope that, since she's an employee, that they would provide some support," she said.
Steve Carr, UNM spokesman, said he could not comment on Sio's arrest.
"It's a personnel issue," he said. "It's being investigated as far as UNM's point of view."
Githinji said she was upset to learn that Sio had been arrested.
"It can really impact her future as a great community leader," she said. "To lose such a woman to a policy that is not sensitive to the bigger picture is really terrible."
Mark Frederick, a student in Sio's refugee class, agreed.
"It's a really unfortunate situation. Chao provided a great service to UNM," he said. "It saddens me that she's going to be deported."
Sio was a good teacher,
Frederick said.
"She provided a lot of insight about what it's like to live in Africa and be part of that culture," he said.
If Sio is deported, it could hurt her chances of coming back to the U.S. or going to other countries, Githinji said.
"That really affects her prospects for the future," she said. "If she can't leave Kenya, it will make it much harder for her to get things done for her charities."
Githinji visited Sio on Saturday.
"She's very tired, and she looked dehydrated," Githinji said. "But she's in good spirits. She's very strong. She never spoke about herself. She just said she was worried about all the things she was involved in."
Finnie Coleman, director of African-American Studies, also declined to comment.
