The deportation case of Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez, a Mexican citizen who has lived in the US for 25 years and was arrested minutes after he dropped his daughter off at school, was kicked back too local immigration court which could take years for a judge to make a decision due to massive backlog – PB/TK
Immigration appeals court throws out deportation order for man detained by ICE after dropping daughter off at school – By Andrea Castillo / Aug 10 2017
An immigration appeals court this week threw out the final deportation order for Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez, who was detained in late February minutes after he dropped his daughter off at school in Lincoln Heights.
His lawyer said the case will be kicked back to the local immigration court that initially ordered that he be deported. That means Avelica-Gonzalez, 49, is still in deportation proceedings, but it could take years for a judge to enter a new decision.
An official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the agency can no longer comment on Avelica-Gonzalez’s case because of his pending U visa application.
Avelica-Gonzalez, a Mexican citizen, has lived in the United States for 25 years. ICE agents arrested him Feb. 28, minutes after he dropped off his daughter Yuleni, 12, at school. Another daughter, Fatima, now 14, sobbed as she recorded cellphone video of the encounter, which went viral.
The case drew national attention, with critics citing it as an example of President Trump’s aggressive and sweeping stance on illegal immigration. Meanwhile, supporters of Trump’s hard-line approach emphasize that immigrants like Avelica-Gonzalez broke the law by coming to the country illegally and further undermined any claim to live in the U.S. when they committed crimes, however minor.
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