Yessenia Ruano, a former Milwaukee Public Schools teacher’s aide who broke U.S. law by crossing the border illegally in 2011, is back on American soil—thanks to a federal judge who ordered immigration authorities to allow her reentry from El Salvador.
Ruano landed at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on July 7, 2026, flanked by her 11-year-old twin daughters. After years of gaming the immigration system, she finally self-deported to El Salvador in June 2025—only to be ushered back by judicial fiat.
Progressive State Sen. Chris Larson, never one to let facts get in the way of a good narrative, declared—without a shred of evidence—that Ruano had died after her deportation, supposedly because she couldn’t get her medicine. Unsurprisingly, no proof ever surfaced. Now, Ruano is alive and well and back in the United States.
Ruano broke the law by crossing the southern border illegally in 2011. According to court records, she stayed in the country unlawfully, lied on immigration forms, and ignored a final deportation order. Yet, she managed to work as a teacher’s aide in Milwaukee for over a decade while her case dragged on. She even tried the well-worn tactic of applying for a T-visa as a supposed trafficking victim, but was eventually told to leave.
In 2025, after immigration officials denied her request to remain in the U.S. while her visa application was pending, Ruano self-deported to El Salvador. She complied with ICE instructions and confirmed her arrival through required monitoring.
But then, a California federal judge stepped in and handed her a ticket back to the United States. Ruano and her daughters are now reentered the country and are back in the Milwaukee area.
Larson’s baseless claim about Ruano’s death made the rounds in progressive echo chambers, weaponized to attack federal immigration enforcement. When the truth came out, the senator offered neither evidence nor apology.
Ruano’s saga is a textbook example of how illegal entrants exploit sanctuary jurisdictions and endless legal wrangling to entrench themselves in the country. Despite breaking the law, lying on forms, and overstaying her visa for years, she’s now been granted a fresh start by a federal court.
