Sisters face deportation to El Salvador due to ‘admin error’

Two sisters who fled the United Kingdom alleging who faced kidnapping and death threats in their country of origin face deportation after claims of “errors and administrative delays” by the Ministry of Interior.

Ivania Rodríguez Sánchez, 24, and Karla Rodríguez Sánchez, 26, fled in 2019 with their parents, who said they had gone through extortion and threats of gang members in El Salvador.

The couple was arrested as “overvalues” on March 20 and the deportation of the face at the end of this month despite sending a new asylum application.

The family has been supported by the popular church in Nottingham, with Pastor Rob Gale saying that the couple “retaliates fear” if they are sent back.

Gale said the family “of good heart” is “deeply annoying” in the situation.

He added that immigration officials need to see the case again and called it a “great supervision.”

The BBC understands that the couple has presented more appeals that are being considered by the Ministry of Interior.

His parents, the asylum applications of his father Héctor and Madre Raina are still at stake.

The family, which helped manage a mini market in El Salvador, said they were approached by gang members who demanded extortion money of $ 500 (£ 383) per month for “protection.”

The father of the sisters, Héctor, could not make payments and the family begged to receive death threats from the gang.

Then, the family moved to the cities, however, they said the gang reached them.

But the situation took a turn when Ivania was kidnapped and this was the “straw that broke that camel” to leave, Gale said.

“It was once [Ivania] He was kidnapped and we still don’t know this day why it was the return tasks, but they realized that moment they needed to move and leave the country. “

The family said they moved to Nottingham in June 2024 from Staffordshire due to problems with their accommodation.

Gale said he was contacted by an associated church in the area where they were voluntarily to see if he could help.

“We with them when they come to our church and sit down and list their history,” Gale said.

“They packed a bag each and some possessions, adopted some money and arrived in Heathrow.

“They really feared for their lives.

“They have really been trapped in the life of the Church … They are such a big, gentle and loving family that has been involved and given their diffusion, they have a leg here in Nottingham.”

The family has been helping to administer groups in the Church, cleaning and preparing meals for attendees.

But Gale added that they got more involved with the asylum process when the family’s offer, which had them in the father’s request, was rejected in November last year.

After ensuring a new legal representation, a new request was submitted for the four to stay in January.

Gale said he had the impression that this was for the whole family, but now he believes that the Ministry of Interior only saw this as a report for parents.

The two sisters, who report an immigration center in Laughborough every month, were detanated as “overvaluers” on March 20.

New individual claims were presented for both Karla and Ivania on the same day, but Gale said that “they only appeared in the system of the Ministry of Interior on April 7”.

He added that the deportation process “has already begun” despite the legal representatives of the sisters chasing and presenting a series of protocol letters prior to action.

By Jeremy Ball, BBC East Midlands Social Affairs correspondent today

The Sánchez family argues that they have the legal right to establish themselves here as refugees due to the threat they face in El Salvador.

Butsíla cases can take several years to resolve while applicants fight to convince the Ministry of Interior to comply with the criteria.

They need to show that their communities are well founded, which can be difficult to prove in any way, and that they face “persecution” in their country of origin.

The legal definition of persecution includes being attacked due to political or gender opinions, but not a general fear of crime or conflict.

Gale says that now he hopes that the Ministry of Interior will take another look at his case, and that the sisters will not end deportation flights to El Salvador scheduled for April 15 and 18.

“They look at them at this time as criminals who have crossed, but this is far from the case,” he said.

“My message to the office at home is only to reimburse throughout this application for basic compassion reasons: this family has done nothing.

“They have not left the limits, they do not catch an additional load on the system. They have invested in the system of our country by serving different churches and different projects.

“They have conferences grades and they are establishing a topic and I am sure of the four with the gifts they have could be their nonsense in the way of life of our country.”

The deputy of East Nottingham, Nadia Whittome, said she had been pressing the Ministry of Interior to free women and called her “deeply unfair and dangerous” to be sent back to El Salvador.

“Two young women are threatened with deportation to a country with one of the highest femicide rates in the world, where gang members have threatened their lives,” he said.

“They should not be in this situation. It is only for administrative errors and delays, even by the Ministry of Interior, which are separated from their family, in detention and can now be eliminated from the country.”

A spokesman for the Ministry of Interior said: “It is our long -date policy not to comment on individual cases.”