Queens resident Edward Alonso Castillo, who was arrested and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in January, won an asylum reasonable fear review — but ICE still refuses to release him. His family, who fears for his deteriorating health, started a petition to demand his immediate release.
An immigration judge granted the decision that allows Alonso to continue to fight his removal proceedings and prevents ICE from deporting him until proceedings are complete, according to Make the Road New York (MRNY), who is representing Alonso and his family.
“We are glad that Alonso has won his reasonable fear review hearing, but we will not stop fighting until Alonso is home with his family where he can seek the medical treatment he desperately needs,” said Jackie Pearce, senior raids response attorney at MRNY.
Alonso, 48, was arrested on Jan. 28 and is being held at Orange County Jail in Goshen, New York. On Feb. 23, he was admitted to a hospital due to severe chest pains. Alonso has a history of strokes and wears a cardiac monitor.
MRNY then filed a parole application asking ICE to immediately release Alonso from detention and to stay his deportation, on behalf of his family. A medical review concluded that Alonso is at high risk of health complications and of suffering severe complications from COVID-19 due to his underlying conditions.
But ICE has denied a request for his release as of Thursday, March 11.
An ICE spokesperson told QNS they can’t discuss individual’s asylum issues due to privacy and safety concerns. They added that Alonso, 48, was taken into custody by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations due to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge from September 2020, which is in the process of being dismissed, and his previous history with law enforcement.
Fourteen years ago, Alonso pleaded guilty to transferring false identification, served eight months in prison and was deported. He later re-entered the country to be with his three children who reside in Staten Island.
Alonso now co-owns of Babylon Bagel on Long Island with his partner Rocio. They have donated food for other undocumented immigrants in need of assistance during the height of the pandemic.
MRNY maintains Alonso doesn’t fall under the categories for deportation under new ICE enforcement priorities and calls for a temporary moratorium on deportations by President Joe Biden’s administration. The agency’s new guidelines state it will focus its “civil immigration enforcement and removal resources on threats to national security, border security and public safety.”
“ICE’s decision shows that even under a new administration, ICE is refusing to adhere to guidance issued from Washington, D.C., and continues to have a callous disregard for his health and the well-being of all detainees that it continues to hold in jails across the country,” Pearce said. “We are escalating our request within ICE and hope that the agency will promptly release him.”
According to a NY1 report, Queens Congresswoman Grace Meng wrote to ICE urging the agency to release Alonso.
Alonso’s family continue their calls to have ICE immediately release him, and with the help of MRNY have collected nearly 1,000 signatures in a petition.
“Alonso must be released from detention immediately. For the last month, our family has been worried over Alonso’s health. Alonso has spent over a month in agonizing pain and away from his family — he deserves to be home, where he belongs,” Rocio said. “I urge ICE to release Alonso so that he can be with his children and get the proper medical care he needs.”
