Guatemalan Immigrant Detained By ICE Reunited With Family After 2 Yrs
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A Guatemalan immigrant jailed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for nearly two years was released from a Colorado detention facility Tuesday, his supporters announced.
Last week, Immigration Judge Joseph Park granted Raul Lopez, 46, a $25,000 bond during a hearing in San Francisco, in which Lopez appeared via telephone conference, his attorneys said.
The bond hearing was ordered by U.S. Magistrate Sallie Kim in January. Kim ruled that lawyers for Raul Lopez showed that Lopez had created significant changes in his situation by becoming rehabilitated from alcoholism since his last bond hearing in September 2017.
Lopez was initially detained by ICE agents in March 2017 and was held at the West County Detention Center in Richmond. In September 2018 Lopez was moved, unbeknownst to his family, to a detention facility in Aurora, Colo. after the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office ended its contract with ICE to house its detainees.
At his initial 2017 bond hearing, a judge determined he was a danger to the public and denied his release because of three misdemeanor DUI convictions between 2010 and 2016.
According to the California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance, which has been supporting Raul's family during his detention, Raul was reunited with his family Tuesday after the alliance helped raise the bond money.
"Now that Raul is free, we will continue to support him and his family as he continues the legal battle with ICE to remain with his family," alliance officials said in a statement.
The government has 30 days to appeal Park's decision, Frances Kreimer, an attorney for Lopez said last week. ICE officials were not immediately available for comment.
© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Bay City News Service. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
