A 19-year-old undocumented immigrant under deportation protection had his first meeting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement today after being briefly detained by the agency last week.
Josue Romero is under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals – or DACA – which protects those brought to the U.S. as children from deportation. Before meeting with ICE, his attorney Jonathan Ryan says Romero is the only DACA recipient he is aware of that is under a supervision order like this.
“He’s not facing any immigration proceedings, he still holds DACA status, and yet he is being followed and tracked and his liberty is being constrained by ICE through this order of supervision, " Ryan added. "He must report regularly, his ability to travel is limited.”
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Romero is from Honduras and came to the U.S. as a young child without authorization. Romero was arrested by SAPD earlier this month for possession of less than 2 oz of marijuana. While in the Bexar County Jail, he was held on an immigration detainer and picked-up by ICE. He was later released and given a date to report an immigration officer. After his meeting Friday, Romero said he is a bit more at peace.
“My case – for now – I feel a little bit more comfortable. I feel like I can move forward with my life and live a little bit more comfortably. But there’s still so much work to do," Romero said,
Romero was told to report to ICE again in June. His DACA expires next month but he has applied for renewal. His marijuana possession charge is still pending, but Romero declined to comment.
TPR requested comment from Immigration and Customs Enforcement but a spokeswoman said a statement was not available. Last week, ICE provided this statement when Romero was released from detention.
“On Feb. 16, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed a detainer with Bexar County (Texas) Jail on Josue Romero-Velasquez, from Honduras. He was later transferred to ICE custody. Romero-Velasquez was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge Dec. 3, 2004. ICE remains focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes threats to national security, public safety and border security.”
