Director David Rivera
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
New Orleans Field Office

Dear Director Rivera,

I am writing as a member of the community to support the request made by the Congress of Day Laborers regarding the request for prosecutorial discretion to individuals and civil rights defenders in New Orleans. As a new director of the New Orleans field office, I hope that you will take the appropriate steps to assure that the civil rights of immigrant communities are respected. In that spirit, I am also writing to urge you to use prosecutorial discretion and grant two-year stays of removal to the following individuals, giving them the real ability to remain with their families as they continue their important civil rights activities and contribute to building a stronger and safer South:

– Mr. Ernesto Zacarias (A 099 519 515)
– Mr. Melvin Ivan Bardales (A 087-895-962)
– Mr. Melvin Martinez Martinez (A 088 655 374)
– Mr. Victor Gomez (A 088 024 829)
– Mr. Josue Lopez (A 096 076 365)
– Mr. Henrri Cruz-Galindo (A 200 060 103)
– Mr. Murillo Gomes-Scherr-Zouian (A 098 995 470)
– Mr. Modesta Medina (A 088 172 589)
– Mr. Erlin Danilo Giron (A 096 178 417)
– Mr Jose Mendez (098 358 310)
– Ms. Delmy Palencia (A 200 066 419)
– Mr. Gustavo Bonilla (A 078 308 409)
– Mr. Edas David Sevilla (A 200 113 774)

As the letter from the Congress of Day Laborers delivered to your office states, the parents and workers detained during the CARI raids and other collaborations with local law enforcement, are still impacted by the civil rights violations that led to their arrest, many continuing to face uncertainty about their status in the country. A decision from your office to use prosecutorial discretion in all of these cases and grant them stays of removal would go a long way to begin to remedy the situation faced by these families.

In addition, I support the request for the office to review its enforcement practices and stop deportation programs that violate the civil rights of immigrant communities, specifically the Criminal Alien Removal Initiative (CARI). This program has received national widespread criticism for its use of racial profiling and the damage it has done to the relationship between law enforcement and immigrant communities.

I have hope that under your leadership the New Orleans ICE Office will consider these requests to end harmful enforcement practices and to grant prosecutorial discretion to the individuals listed in this request.

Thank you,

[Your Signature]