Arizona Immigration Activist Whose Family Was Detained By ICE Joins Congresswoman's Staff

Days after her family was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Arizona, a prominent young Arizona immigration activist has joined a newly elected Arizona Congresswoman's office.

U.S. Rep. Krysten Sinema, D-Ariz, has a new staff member, Erika Andiola, a Mexican immigrant who co-founded the Arizona Dream Act Coalition. The hiring was announced on Wednesday.

Andiola, 25, who entered the U.S. undocumented but has a working visa from the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, made headlines last week when her mother and brother were arrested by ICE agents at their home in Phoenix, Ariz.

Immigration officials claim that both of the activist's family members are in the country illegally.

A large outcry for their release came online after Andiola posted a tearful video plea on YouTube urging officials to put an end to immigration policies separating immigrant families. They were released on Friday shortly after petitions from thousands of people and pro-immigration groups poured in to federal officials.

Sinema was working in the state legislature when met Andiola in the early 2000s; Andiola was offered the position the same day that her house was visited by ICE agents.

"We've hired Erika to be the outreach director for our office," Sinema said in an interview with ABC/Univision. "She's a very, very smart young woman with a history of advocacy."

Sinema, who was sworn into office earlier this month, is one of those on Capitol Hill that have called for comprehensive immigration reform. On her website, Sinema says that immigration reform was especially key in her state, which shared the second-longest border with Mexico after Texas.

"For far too long, the federal government has failed us when it comes to immigration. Arizona, and our nation, needs a comprehensive solution on immigration that works for workers, employers and our security," Sinema posted.

Sinema has proposed changes to the immigration system that include a "tough but fair" path to citizenship for undocumented workers. That path would include having them pay back taxes, paying a fine and learning English as a condition of gaining citizenship.