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Douglas Daily News The Douglas News ATLANTA — Friday morning, an immigration judge in Atlanta ordered that Paola Yarberry be deported to her home country of Venezuela. Yarberry, a Douglas resident, was arrested on an immigration violation in May and has been in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ever since. Friday, Yarberry appeared before Judge William Cassidy, the same judge who has presided over all her previous hearings. Yarberry's attorneys had filed several motions and petitions, including a petition for citizenship. Judge Cassidy denied her petition for citizenship Friday, and Yarberry offered no other claims in her defense. Neither did she refute any of the government's allegations. Cassidy could do nothing but order her removal. Yarberry's attorneys have until March 3 to appeal Cassidy's ruling. If there is no appeal or if the appeal is denied, she will be removed from the United States. According to court documents obtained by The Douglas News dated Dec. 27, 2007, Yarberry was classified as an arriving alien in 1999. For several years, Yarberry has been working to have her immigration status resolved. While that was going on, the tragic shooting death of Doris Worrell occurred. Yarberry was living with the Worrell family at the time of the shooting, and was inside the building where the shooting happened. Previous court documents have said that Yarberry may know more about the shooting than she originally stated. However, her attorneys maintain she has cooperated fully with the murder investigation. Yarberry and several members of the Worrell family were present at Friday's hearing.
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