Since 2009, a 36-year-old man has managed a pizza restaurant in Florida, but a deportation order could separate him from his wife and three young daughters. When he reports to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Miramar, his lawyer will request reconsideration of his status, which currently calls for expedited removal from the country. In addition to 90,000 online signatures on a petition asking that he be allowed to stay, many Palm Beach residents have opposed his looming deportation.
A resident who knows him from the restaurant wrote to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and asked that his case be reconsidered. The Worth Avenue Association asked its members to lend their support to his cause. His employers have expressed their dismay at the prospect of seeing his family torn apart.
He first entered the United States at the age of 15. After high school, he went back to Mexico but experienced trouble when he tried to come back to the United States. Officials deported him at that time and imposed on a five-year ban on his return. He came back before five years had passed. He was a teenager at the time and says he did not realize he was acting illegally. According to media sources, the man remains confident that immigration authorities will give him a second chance.
When someone is threatened with deportation, the representation of an attorney may help a person develop a defense to deportation. Legal advice may provide a person with guidance in the face of complex procedures. An attorney might present immigration authorities with documentation about how long someone has lived in the country and their family ties.
Source: Palm Beach Daily News, “NEW: Why this Palm Beach restaurant manager facing deportation remains hopeful“, Ian Cohen, April 18, 2018
