Ralliers gathered at City Hall on Friday in a final plea for immigration Judge Mirlande Tadal to halt the deportation of Maspeth resident Edisson Barros.
The Ecuadorian-born Barros’ deportation was set for Friday morning on the same day as the rally, which took place on the steps of City Hall on the morning of Aug. 10.
His family members were joined by Councilmen Francisco Moya and Carlos Menchaca, Vice Consul General of the Ecuadorian Consulate in New York Maria Acosta, members of the Young Progressives of America, New York Public Interest Research Group and the Independent Drivers Guild and immigration activist Ronald Bautista.
Protestors gathered with handmade signs with the words #FreeEdisson and “F*** ICE” written on them. Barros’ daughter Paola held a sign that read “Give Me Back My Dad! Immigrants Are Welcome!”
“Deporting Edisson Barros will not ‘Make America Great Again.’ It will succeed only in decimating and devastating a family,” Moya said. “There is no honor in visiting this hell on Edisson and his family, and doing so is not a defense of America or liberty. In the interest of justice, we are calling on Judge Mirlande Tadal to stay his deportation, at least until she can review his case and make an informed decision.”
Assemblywoman Ari Espinal also demanded justice for Barros and the other immigrant families who have been subjected to similar fates.
“I am horrified and angered by the actions taken by the federal government to try to take Edisson Barros away from his family and his home for the last 25 years,” Espinal said. “I join Council member Francisco Moya in asking Judge Mirlande Tadal to stay Edisson’s deportation. The federal government must stop tearing families apart.”
As QNS reported, Barros was arrested trying to save his family’s dog back in May. The taxi driver was reportedly walking his dog in Maspeth when it ran into the street.
To stop an oncoming driver from hitting the dog, Barros threw his keys at the car to alert him to stop. The driver of the vehicle got upset and called the police, who arrested Barros for public disorder. He wound up being turned over to ICE following his arrest and is now in custody at the Hudson Correctional Facility in Kearny, New Jersey.
The father and husband first came from Ecuador in 1994 and obtained a work permit. Both of his young adult daughters were born in the United States. A family emergency required him to return to his home country in 2003. But ICE spokeswoman Yong Yow told Patch that Barros is being subject to “deportation under a final order of removal from 2003.”
“Judge Tadal has already expressed an interest in reviewing Mr. Barros’ 2003 case, from which this deportation ruling originates. We hope that is true and urge her to stay the deportation at least she can make an informed decision,” according to a statement from Councilman Moya’s office.
