Pizza Delivery Man Detained by ICE Is Freed by Judge
The New York news media brought to light the story of a hard working pizza delivery man who was detained for delivering a pizza to an army base, at their request. The plight of a worker who shows up to work to do honest work and suddenly finds themselves in deportation proceedings.
Villavicencio, an Ecuadorean immigrant who was held for deportation after delivering pizza to a Brooklyn Army installation walked out of an immigration detention center house hours on July 24,2018 after U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty ordered his immediate release. The decision came from a Judge, who was the former head of the New York City Law Department. Villavicencio was arrested on June 1 while making a pizza delivery to the garrison in Fort Hamilton., in Brooklyn, New York When he arrived at Fort Hamilton, guards requested identification, and he produced a New York City identification card. A background check showed he had been ordered to leave the United States in 2010 but stayed.
Judge Paul Crotty ruled that Villavicencio can remain in the United States while he exhausts his right to try to gain legal status. Our Westchester and New York deportation attorneys have obtained bail for numerous clients who are fighting for their rights to stay in the United States. The current administration has sought to put pressure on immigrants who are seeking relief, such as Asylum or Cancellation of Removal, by requiring that immigrants in deportation proceedings remain incarcerated while they puruse rights under the law. Judge Paul Crotty stated that although Villavicencio stayed in the United States unlawfully and is currently subject to a final order of removal, he has otherwise been a model citizen.
After hearing arguments from the government lawyer, Judge Crotty put the government lawyer on the spot over the effort by immigration authorities to enforce a 2010 deportation order. He questioned the need to detain and quickly deport Villavicencio, who's 35 years old. "Well, the powerful are doing what they want, and the poor are suffering what they must," the judge said after hearing Assistant U.S. Attorney defend the government's actions.
This case has attracted widespread attention amid a crackdown by the administration of President Donald Trump on illegal immigration. Trump, a Republican, has said his policies are designed to keep the country safe.
This decision should serve as a rebuke against the Trump Administration and its merciless crusade to tear families apart. It makes no difference in terms of the larger issues facing the country. Our New York deportation lawyers will continue to fight to have immigrants granted bail while they pursue their rights to a final hearing.