To: Jeh Johnson, DHS Secretary; Daniel Ragsdale, ICE Acting Director; Andrew Lorenzen-Strait, National ICE Public Advocate; Jon Gurule, Phoenix Field Office Director; Phoenix Office of Public Affairs
On April 1, 2014, Jaime Arturo Valdez Reyes (A#201-288-309) presented himself at the Nogales Port of Entry to reunite with his family. I am writing to ask that you grant him humanitarian parole and close his deportation case.
Jaime and his father, along with others inside and outside of detention, participated in a hunger strike in March. Jaime was targeted as the ring leader of the hunger strikers in Eloy Detention Center, punished with solitary confinement and then deported in the middle of the night without any notification to his family or lawyer.
It is illegal to use deportation as a punishment for exercising his civil rights. Jaime should be allowed to reunite with his family, who have fought so hard to bring him home. Please free him from detention and close his deportation case immediately.
I await your reply.
To: Jeh Johnson, DHS Secretary; Daniel Ragsdale, ICE Acting Director; Andrew Lorenzen-Strait, National ICE Public Advocate; Jon Gurule, Phoenix Field Office Director; Phoenix Office of Public Affairs
Ardani Rosales Lemus (A#098-918-011) presented at the Nogales Port of Entry on April 2, 2014, in order to reunite with his wife and two U.S. citizen children. I am writing to request that you grant him humanitarian parole and close his deportation case.
Ardani was pulled over for a minor traffic violation. He has no criminal charges other than two prior deportations. Ardani’s family has been in the U.S. since 2005, fleeing violence in Guatemala. In his hometown, he organized youth to stay out of gangs. This led to threats and brutality from one of the most powerful gangs, La Mara Salvatrucha.
Ardani’s newborn child and his 2-year old daughter need their father home. Ardani needs to return to a place where his life is not in danger. Please grant him humanitarian parole and close his deportation case so that he can remain home, with his family, where he belongs.
I await your response.
4/10/14 Jaime had a master calendar hearing today, and was given until May 6 to submit his paperwork to advance his asylum claim. Ardani will see a judge on Monday.
4/2/14: Jaime and Ardani currently in ICE Custody in Florence, AZ. Stay tuned for updates.
To: Jeh Johnson, DHS Secretary; Daniel Ragsdale, ICE Acting Director; Andrew Lorenzen-Strait, National ICE Public Advocate; Jon Gurule, Phoenix Field Office Director; Phoenix Office of Public Affairs On April 1, 2014, Jaime Arturo Valdez Reyes (A#201-288-309) presented himself at the Nogales Port of Entry to reunite with his family. I am writing to ask that you grant him humanitarian parole and close his deportation case. Jaime and his father, along with others inside and outside of detention, participated in a hunger strike in March. Jaime was targeted as the ring leader of the hunger strikers in Eloy Detention Center, punished with solitary confinement and then deported in the middle of the night without any notification to his family or lawyer. It is illegal to use deportation as a punishment for exercising his civil rights. Jaime should be allowed to reunite with his family, who have fought so hard to bring him home. Please free him from detention and close his deportation case immediately. I await your reply. To: Jeh Johnson, DHS Secretary; Daniel Ragsdale, ICE Acting Director; Andrew Lorenzen-Strait, National ICE Public Advocate; Jon Gurule, Phoenix Field Office Director; Phoenix Office of Public Affairs Ardani Rosales Lemus (A#098-918-011) presented at the Nogales Port of Entry on April 2, 2014, in order to reunite with his wife and two U.S. citizen children. I am writing to request that you grant him humanitarian parole and close his deportation case. Ardani was pulled over for a minor traffic violation. He has no criminal charges other than two prior deportations. Ardani’s family has been in the U.S. since 2005, fleeing violence in Guatemala. In his hometown, he organized youth to stay out of gangs. This led to threats and brutality from one of the most powerful gangs, La Mara Salvatrucha. Ardani’s newborn child and his 2-year old daughter need their father home. Ardani needs to return to a place where his life is not in danger. Please grant him humanitarian parole and close his deportation case so that he can remain home, with his family, where he belongs.
I await your response.
On April 1st, Jaime Valdez and Ardani Rosales, who were both unjustly deported by ICE in retaliation for their civil rights organizing, presented themselves at the Nogales Port of Entry to request that their cases be re-opened and that they be granted humanitarian parole. They are both currently detained in Florence, CCA, awaiting humanitarian parole and the opportunity to reunite with their families.
Jaime Valdez was deported in the middle of the night while Phoenix police attempted to evict his father and others from their two-week long hunger strike outside the ICE office in Phoenix while Ardani was secretly removed from the detention center where he was held using multiple decoy vehicles at the same time as his family and supporters held a vigil in front. Both were deported without any notice, cutting short their appeals processes.
At a time when the President is requesting a review for more humane procedures, his enforcement agency is utilizing deportation as a weapon against immigrants and detainees who’s organizing seeks the same goal; better and more fair treatment. Jaime and Ardani’s seek to return as the Obama administration reaches the two million deportation mark, and migrant communities plan April 5th events across the country to demand the administration expand relief and halt deportations.
Jaime says, “I should have the right to continue fighting my case. The president says he wants humane treatment which is exactly what I was fighting for when ICE retaliated by deporting me. I hope that more humane treatment can start with our cases today and we’ll be presenting ourselves at the border asking for relief.”
Naira Zapata, Ardani’s fiancee, says, “Why is ICE deporting people who are just here to work and have a family? Why are they doing this to many families and why did they do it to mine? Now that he is coming back, I am so happy because we were a family, but we were a divided family. Now that he is coming back home, my children, Ardani, and I will be once again united.”
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