A federal judge granted Maspeth resident and Ecuadorian native Edisson Barros a stay of deportation late last night.
The Legal Aid Society, whose lawyers were working on Barros’ case, announced that Katherine Polk Failla, United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, stayed Barros’ impending deportation on Thursday, Aug. 16. The 25-year New York resident was set to be deported as early as 6 a.m. on Aug. 17 according to Tweets from Telemundo 47.
“This monumental victory is the culmination of dedicated grassroots organizing and people coming together for what is morally right. We will continue fighting to ensure Edisson’s freedom, and for the dignity of all undocumented immigrants,” said Carlos Jesus Calzadilla-Palacio, president of Young Progressives of America.
Legal Aid’s Immigration Law Unit, including Gregory Copeland, Sarah Gillman, Jennifer Williams, Allison Wilkinson and Ramya Ravishankar, represented Barros in his case.
“We welcome this decision affording Mr. Barros a genuine opportunity to stay in this country while he fights his immigration case,” said Copeland, supervising attorney on the case. “Mr. Barros’ case is yet another troubling example of this federal Administration’s cruel war to separate families, whether at the southern border or here in this sanctuary city. We look forward to ensuring that Mr. Barros remains in New York City – his home for more than 25 years – with his family and community.”
As QNS reported, the cab driver was arrested when throwing his keys at an unobservant driver to prevent him from running over the family dog. He went to court to contest the charges but was arrested by ICE agents who were waiting for him outside of the courthouse.
Barros was originally detained at the Hudson County Correctional Facility but was subsequently taken to an ICE facility in Louisiana according to the Legal Aid Society. They added that his stay of deportation depends on the outcome of this litigation.
QNS reached out to ICE asking why they transferred Barros to the Louisiana facility, but they could not be reached for comment at this time.
Barros’ family, along with politicians, advocates and lawyers, worked tirelessly to postpone his removal from the country. Ralliers gathered in front of City Hall on Friday, Aug. 10, to contest his deportation. Among the protesters was his daughter Paola Barros, who started a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for her father’s legal proceedings and familial support.
Councilman Francisco Moya, a fellow Ecuadorian and one of the leaders in Barros’ fight, celebrated the good news on Twitter this morning in response to the breaking news from Telemundo47.
This is a huge victory but the fight to stop #EdissonBarros from being deported is not over! I have no doubt the attention and public pressure helped stall Edisson’s deportation last Friday. Don’t let up now! https://t.co/wYSzuKVQzR
— Francisco Moya (@FranciscoMoyaNY) August 17, 2018
Councilman Carlos Menchaca, Chair of the Committee on Immigration, expressed his thanks to the “tireless work of the Legal Aid Society” and the advocacy of Barros’ family, activists, the press and his colleagues in government, particularly Moya and Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez.
“This victory is proof once again of an important truth: that ICE is not all-powerful, that we have the tools to defend the most vulnerable among us, and that when we unite our efforts we can achieve anything on behalf of our immigrant brothers and sisters,” Menchaca said.
