It can be a terrifying experience for an immigrant in Kentucky or anywhere else in the nation to be detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, often with little notice. However, sometimes, these stories have happy endings. For example, one man living in the United States has been granted a one-year stay of removal after previously been notified by ICE that he will be deported immediately.
The man is the father of five children born in the United States. One of the children, age 5, has cancer. The man had entered a church in his area, claiming sanctuary. The man’s stay is based on humanitarian grounds. A previous request for a stay had been denied.
The man resided in the U.S. since he was a toddler, after his mother unlawfully entered the country from Mexico. His child with cancer receives medication, but the man must be the one to give the child the pills because the child’s mother is pregnant and cannot touch them.
Through this stay, the man will be issued a work permit. He can also reside in the U.S., while he continues his efforts to lawfully stay in the U.S. via his wife, who is a U.S. citizen. He intends to go back to his previous job.
The man had been deported two times in the past, but re-entered the nation each time. ICE located him in 2016, and he had to spend 90 days in prison. After his sentence was served that year, he was taken into custody by ICE.
ICE issued the man a one-year stay of removal, but was ordered to be supervised. Near the end of 2017, the man was registered in ICE’s Alternatives to Detention initiative, which mandated that he report periodically with ICE.
Although the man checked in every time he was supposed to, he was told he would be deported. His request for a stay was denied. But, as reported above, that stay has now been approved.
This man was fortunate that ICE approved his stay, but others are not so lucky. Individuals facing deportation and removal may want to seek the help of a professional, who can explain whether a stay is possible and help that individual navigate the procedures necessary to remain in the country.
Source: USA Today, “Deportation stay granted for father of son with cancer,” Daniel Gonzalez, Feb. 13, 2018
