Around midnight on June 8, 2009, Laura S. and three friends were stopped near Pharr, Texas for a minor traffic infraction. The officer asked for immigration papers, but only Laura’s cousin was able to produce them. Laura spent the next six hours in custody, begging various immigration officials to let her stay. She repeatedly explained that her ex-boyfriend, Sergio H., lived in Mexico, he had previously been abusive toward her and he threatened to kill her if she ever returned to Mexico. Further, she mentioned that she had three young children -- all in the United States -- and one was scheduled...