In Los Angeles, California, longtime U.S. resident and father of four Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez has won an emergency stay of deportation, amid a national campaign demanding he be allowed to stay in the United States. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested him in late February while he was driving his two daughters to school. Immigration advocates fear his arrest signals a shift in ICE’s long-standing policy against conducting enforcement activities at so-called sensitive locations, like schools, churches and hospitals. Speaking from the Adelanto Detention Center in San Bernardino County, Avelica-Gonzalez said, “Every day I wake up knowing that I must be at least half as strong as my children have been in their fight for my freedom. … I will never give up fighting for my rights, and for the rights of other immigrants.” He and his supporters are now demanding he be released from ICE custody and that the Board of Immigration Appeals recognize his right to stay in the country.
Amid Nationwide Campaign, Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez Wins Stay of Deportation
HeadlineAug 08, 2017
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