Mexican man freed after arrest despite protected status
TACOMA, Wash. — A Mexican man who spent more than six weeks in immigration detention despite his participation in a program designed to prevent the deportation of those brought to the U.S. illegally as children was released from custody Wednesday pending deportation proceedings.
A smiling Daniel Ramirez Medina hugged his brother in the lobby of a detention centre as he was freed, then hugged him again for the news cameras outside. He spoke to reporters briefly in Spanish, thanking his supporters, and later issued a written statement in English through his lawyers.
“I’m so happy to be reunited with my family today and can’t wait to see my son,” it said. “This has been a long and hard 46 days, but I’m so thankful for the support that I’ve gotten from everyone who helped me and for the opportunity to live in such an amazing country. I know that this isn’t over, but I’m hopeful for the future, for me and for the hundreds of thousands of other Dreamers who love this country like I do.”
Judge John Odell in Tacoma approved freeing the 24-year-old Ramirez on $15,000 bond until his next immigration court hearing.