An illegal immigrant who was living in Brookline has been deported in what could be the conclusion to a long fight to keep him in the country with his family.
Activists said Martin Esquivel-Hernandez was deported back to Mexico on Tuesday morning.
Officials found that he was in the United States illegally when he was pulled over for a traffic violation in March 2016 and did not have legal documentation. A few days later, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested Esquivel-Hernandez for illegally crossing the border.
The incident was the fifth time Esquivel-Hernandez was arrested in the United States for being in the country illegally. He was captured and returned to Mexico four times before coming to Pittsburgh several years ago.
His felony charge was dismissed, but in January, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement determined he would be deported again. An ICE spokesperson said in a statement:
“Mr. Esquivel-Hernandez has two misdemeanor convictions, one from 2012 and 2017, and federal authorities removed him to Mexico four times since 2011, with the latest removal taking place in 2012. As a result, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has designated Mr. Esquivel-Hernandez's case as a priority for immigration enforcement.”
Esquivel-Hernandez said he came to the United States to escape drug gangs in Mexico City who threatened him for his work in the military.
Esquivel-Hernandez’s supporters said he came to the United States to be with his mother, wife and children. Despite his illegal status, activists fought for months to keep him in the country. The rallies continued even after word that he was deported. Tuesday evening.
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Undocumented immigrant who fled Mexico, settled in Pittsburgh with family may be deported (1/9/17)
Cox Media Group
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