A Chicago-based immigration reform activist is suing the government alleging that officials conspired to deny the renewal of her immigration status as punishment for her political activism.

Filed in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois, Irene Unzueta charges authorities from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) highlighted her history of civil disobedience in denying her application, adding "Ms. Unzueta's case raised public safety concerns."

The suit seeks to have authorities admit that they erred in rejecting Unzueta's application.

Unzueta has Been in the U.S. Most of her Life

The 29-year-old came to the U.S. from Mexico when she was just six-years old, and applied for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in 2013, which was granted despite her history of arrests at various demonstrations.

DACA allows undocumented immigrants who entered the country before the age of 16 to remain in the U.S. and be exempt from deportation for two-year periods at a time.

Specifically, the suit charges the government's denial "punishes" Unzueta "for engaging in constitutionally protected, peaceful political actions."

Unzueta further claims she has lost two job opportunities over her uncertain status and adds she moved to file suit out of concern hundreds of other students who spoke up about immigration issues could be targeted.

She and several family members have participated in a number of campaigns around the country aimed at pushing DACA. The University of Illinois at Chicago grad has never been convicted of a crime.

DACA Introduced by Obama Administration Four Years ago

President Barack Obama initiated DACA in 2012, but his attempts to expand it two years later have led to an ongoing Supreme Court battle over the legal merits of his unilateral actions.

The topic of immigration reform has become one of the most hotly debated issues of the 2016 presidential election, with presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump vowing to deport millions of immigrants if he is elected.

Meanwhile, Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have both publicly committed themselves to a course of immigration reform.

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