SPRINGFIELD, Fla. – Supporters of a popular Springfield coffee shop are calling for the release of its owner, who is currently being held in federal immigration custody.
Diana Marcela Mejia-Pedraza, 40, was arrested by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 2 after being accused of trespassing outside a Dollar General store in St. Augustine. She is now being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under an immigration detainer.
According to her family, Mejia-Pedraza is a Colombian native who owns Art Essence Coffee on Main Street. They said she has a work permit, a Social Security number, and has been operating her business legally.
Dozens of supporters gathered Saturday inside the coffee shop to show their support for Mejia-Pedraza.
Family members told News4JAX they called police after she experienced a mental health crisis and began having a panic attack in the parking lot of the store. They said they asked for her to be taken into custody under the Baker Act to receive medical help.
Instead, an arrest report shows Mejia-Pedraza was cited for trespassing and resisting arrest without violence. The report alleges she yelled at customers and pulled away from a deputy before being taken to the ground and arrested.
“In certain ways, I feel betrayed,” said Sharis Jinete, Mejia-Pedraza’s stepdaughter. “We thought the police were going to help us, and it was the opposite. She was not trespassing at the Dollar General — we were the ones that called the police.”
Jinete also said the police report made no mention of the mental health crisis her stepmother was experiencing.
“She might have resisted because she was in a mental situation,” Jinete said.
Mejia-Pedraza was later transferred into ICE custody and is currently being held at a hospital in Fort Lauderdale. Her family says they have not been able to speak with her directly since the transfer.
They have hired an attorney and are concerned that if she is deported, her business will be forced to close.
