Stay extended in Houston for man facing deportation
HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Every time Juan Rodriguez checks in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, he knows that he runs the risk of being detained. He emigrated from El Salvador in 2002 and has obtained work permits to support his family.
Rodriguez's three daughters and wife are American citizens, but he is not. He has been required to check in with ICE at least once a year and the office exercised prosecutorial discretion to repeatedly allow the husband and father with no criminal history to stay.
During a check earlier in 2017, Rodriguez was told he would be deported. His attorneys have been fighting on his behalf ever since.
The Rodriguez family was given good news during a check in on Monday. Rodriguez had already been given sixty days to stay in the U.S. before deportation. During the check in, the family was told the office will once again use its discretion to possibly give him more than sixty days, while his immigration attorneys fight for his legal status.
Immigration attorney Raed Gonzalez says he has requested that a judge reopen Rodriguez's case so that the patriarch can apply for asylum. Rodriguez's wife and daughters say they too would would move to El Salvador if he's deported. However, there have been U.S. travel warnings for American citizens in El Salvador and Gonzalez says the entire family could be at risk if Rodriguez is deported. He has also been ordered to wear a tracking monitor on his ankle.