They Accuse Immigration Of Using A Boy To Arrest His Father

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Mynor Espinoza, a Guatemalan immigrant, went to an immigration office on June 5 to clarify a problem with documents for his son Anthony.

Once in the official offices, he was surprised that the appointment was a trick to stop him, according to his lawyer, Yazmin Rodríguez.

The father of four children and a resident of West Haven, Connecticut, Espinoza illegally crossed the border eight years ago with his wife Dulce and had a deportation order, the New York Daily News reported.

According to the lawyer, the meeting to which her client was summoned was aimed at reaching an agreement with immigration on the legal status of her 9-year-old son, who arrived in the United States from Guatemala last year. So he accuses the authorities of using the minor as a hook to arrest the father.

This would not be the first time that an undocumented immigrant child has been used as bait to imprison his parents, according to the director of the Connecticut Working Families organization, Carlos Moreno, whose entity provides assistance to the community in terms of jobs, health and schools, among other things.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) defended his actions, noting that Espinoza was captured at the border in 2009.

"Like any security agency, ICE routinely checks the names of the people on the list to verify pending orders or other criminal activity, whether on the street or in our offices," the agency said in a statement.

"Individuals who have pending deportation or deportation orders are subject to arrest at the time of the encounter," he added.

For Moreno, the case of the Espinozas is an example of the difficulties faced by undocumented immigrants with this new White House. "It is another example of (President Donald) Trump's devastating agenda against undocumented immigrants," Moreno added.

Espinoza's arrest is a serious problem for his family, of which he was the main provider. In addition, he has no criminal record, according to his defenders.

Before his arrest, he worked as a bricklayer. His wife has since taken on a series of jobs to help get the family afloat.

Family and friends have created a YouCaring page to help raise funds for the Espinoza family as they prepare for a possible deportation order.