Erika Andiola told BuzzFeed that she is leaving Arizona Rep. Kyrsten Simena's office to put all of her energy into stopping ICE from deporting her mother in January.

Steve Pavey Erika Andiola, immigration activist.

Erika Andiola, a high-profile "dreamer" who was on Time magazine's 2012 cover featuring undocumented immigrants, announced Tuesday that she is leaving her job as a congressional staffer to return to Arizona to put her energy into fighting the threat of her mother's deportation in January. Andiola was able to work for Arizona Rep. Kyrsten Sinema as outreach director because she was a recipient of President Obama's summer 2012 executive order, granting her deferred action status as an eligible undocumented immigrant. "The main reason I was excited when I got offered a job to work for Congress was not necessarily because I see it as my lifelong career, but because I'm so passionate about immigration reform," Andiola told BuzzFeed. "I wanted to see if I could change things from the inside. But unfortunately, the year has almost ended and House leadership hasn't done anything." In January, during the same week she was hired, Andiola nearly saw her mom be deported; she was taken from their home at 9 p.m. by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and driven to the border before prosecutorial discretion was granted. Now, on Jan. 2, 2013, Andiola's mother, Maria Arreola, 54, has to face ICE again. "That's when they'll make the decision of if she stays or she goes."

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema, Congressman Luis Gutierrez, and dreamers.

Sinema told BuzzFeed in a statement that she is sad to see Andiola go. "While I am disappointed to lose Erika as a member of our staff, I understand that she needs to focus 100% on her mom's case. We are hopeful that Erika's mother can remain in the country because we believe families should stay together. Arizona families just like Erika's are waiting for this Congress to pass commonsense comprehensive immigration reform that secures our borders, keeps families together, and grows our economy. Arizona has been waiting for too long already; we owe it to our state to pass immigration reform this year." Andiola said both Republicans and Democrats have used immigration as a "political football" and doesn't let the Obama administration off the hook for a record number of deportations. "There has been rhetoric that the administration is not deporting people that are low priority. Tons of people who are vulnerable to deportation and haven't committed crimes are being deported," she said. And while her mother's immigration status was spotlighted by a minor traffic violation, Andiola believes Arizona's controversial recent history with Latino immigrants leads to more stops. "Thank god we were able to stop my mom's deportation last year by creating enough pressure for ICE to get her to stay," she said. "The bus was so close to leaving the country, it was almost a miracle for them to get the message right away and for the bus to turn around. But the prosecutorial discretion nightmare doesn't end there. It's still in the hands of ICE." ICE did not respond to BuzzFeed's request for comment on Andiola's mother before publication, but had previously said its initial decision would be followed by further review. In releasing the relatives, ICE exercised its case-by-case discretion based on initial reviews, said ICE press secretary Barbara Gonzales to the Associated Press, adding that "a fuller review of the cases is currently ongoing."

Ross D. Franklin / AP Erika Andiola, speaking in her letter to colleagues announcing her departure.