Kelly Yu, the owner of Kawaii Sushi in Peoria, Arizona, had been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since May following a routine immigration check-in after entering the United States from China illegally decades ago.

Newsweek reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security via email for comment.

Why it Matters

Yu’s detention underscores how federal immigration enforcement could affect long-term residents and small-business owners who had built deep ties in their communities, including families with U.S. citizen children—as Yu has children who were born here.

Her case has also galvanized lawmakers and advocates across partisan lines, raising questions about how removal orders issued years earlier could affect people who had lived, paid taxes and employed residents for decades.

The Trump administration has dramatically cracked down on illegal immigration and touted its efforts as successful, notably massive decreases in crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border since President Donald Trump came into office. However, some Americans remain ambivalent about policy end goals—including detaining non-violent, non-criminal immigrants and federal agents making arrests in schools and places of employment.

What To Know

Kelly Yu was detained by ICE on May 28 and has since been held at the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona.

Homeland Security Investigations told FOX 10 Phoenix that Yu entered the U.S. from Mexico in 2004 and that a federal immigration judge had issued a removal order in 2005, with subsequent appeals denied and a final appellate denial in 2016.

Yu fled China in 2004 as a pregnant 18-year-old seeking asylum out of fear of China’s “one child” policy. During her 21 years in the country, she has married a U.S. citizen and is a mother to an American citizen and current collegiate student, Zita, who was born shortly after Yu’s U.S. arrival and is a legally protected resident.

Yu owns the small business Kawaii Sushi in North Peoria. Newsweek reached out to the restaurant via email for comment.

“We didn’t do anything wrong,” Yu said in a video interview from the detention center in July, according to local NBA affiliate 12 News. “We’re not criminals.”

Her asylum case was denied and a federal immigration judge issued a removal order in 2005. Her appeals were later rejected, including a final denial by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2016.

Bipartisan Support For Yu

Lisa Everett, a self-described lifelong Republican who serves as the chair for GOP Legislative District 29 in Arizona, told Newsweek the following via email on Tuesday: “Recently, I had an experience that reminded me of something our society often forgets: we have far more in common than what divides us.”

Everett was talking about working alongside Brent Peak, a Democrat activist who heads the grassroots, all-volunteer group Northwest Valley Indivisible in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District. The pair has called for Yu’s release from detention.

“On paper, we should be political opposites,” Everett said. “But when we learned about the plight of Kelly Yu…we both knew this was an issue that transcended party lines.

“Kelly is everything we want in an immigrant. She is well loved in her community she gives back to. I am grateful Brent and I came together to help her.”

Newsweek reached out to Peak and Northwest Valley Indivisible via email for comment.

Yu has spent over a decade legally navigating the complex process of becoming a U.S. citizen, Everett added, calling her “respected” and an employer of dozens of workers. She’s also given back to the community.

Everett said Yu “belongs home with her family in Peoria.” The way she and Peak have worked to help free Yu is a lesson that all partisans and politicians can learn from while inhabiting a “polarized” political climate, Everett added.

“The truth is, if we start by identifying our shared values, we can build from there,” Everett said. “For example, [Peak and I] both agree that if someone is here illegally and commits a violent crime, they should be sent home. That’s a starting point for reasonable discussion, not division.

“Unfortunately, too many in government are more focused on scoring political points than on serving the people they represent. Somewhere along the way, Washington, state governments, and even local governments, shifted from prioritizing people to prioritizing politics. We need to get back to governing with humanity first.”

Yu’s legal team had filed appeals and community members launched petitions and social media campaigns seeking her release.

What People Are Saying

ICE, in a post on X on Tuesday: “Business owners: It’s time to get right with the law. You know you’re not supposed to hire illegal aliens. We’re enforcing the law across the board—all businesses in all industries. ICE is not currently visiting businesses that are part of our IMAGE program—we trust that they’re compliant.”

Yu’s husband, Aldo, said the following per NBC affiliate 12 News: “Every single day, someone asks us how she’s doing or where she is. It’s very painful.”

Brent Peak, co-chair of Northwest Valley Indivisible, to FOX 10 Phoenix: “She has been in the country for 20 years. There’s no criminal record. She has a child who was born here and is a citizen. She’s built a successful business; she has given back to the community. She is the kind of person we would want in our community.”

Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat, after meeting with Yu and another detained immigrant on August 7: “Donald Trump is going after people like Kelly Yu and Maria Pelaez who are mothers, grandmothers, members of our communities, instead of using ICE resources to go after criminals. Hearing from them and their families about what they are going through was emotional at times, especially when Maria broke down into tears telling me how proud she was when her son became a Marine.

“My team and I will keep fighting for Kelly Yu and Maria Pelaez and their families. Arizonans deserve real solutions for our broken border and immigration system, not what I saw today which was ripping families and communities apart.”

What Happens Next

Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego, a Democrat, was expected to meet with Yu on Tuesday at the detention center. Newsweek reached out to his office via email for comment.

Senator Mark Kelly visited Yu on August 7, pledging to continue pressing ICE and the Trump administration for answers on detention practices—as well as more transparency at the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona.