Advocates Urge the release of Francisco Rodriguez, MIT Janitor & father of four, Snatched by ICE Cops
The ACLU of Massachusetts is urging federal court officials to release a detained MIT janitor who was denied his fifth request to renew the stay of removal after living in Boston for a decade.
Francisco Rodriguez Guardado was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement last month. After being denied his stay of removal, Rodriguez reported to ICE with a plane ticket, but was taken into custody anyway, according to the ACLU.
The group, with the law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, filed amicus brief on Thursday in support of Rodriguez, who is a father of four US-citizen children, including a newborn son, and an active member of the community in Chelsea.
"Immigration detention power cannot be used to merely hurt people, families and communities," said Carol Rose, executive director of ACLU of Massachusetts. "In this particular case, ICE detained a man who was fully compliant, tore him from his family, and threw him into a jail cell without any regard for the wellbeing of his children and community, and for no legitimate immigration enforcement purpose."
The amicus brief claims that there is no legal authority for Rodriguez's detention. The ACLU believes Rodriguez's detention is not constitutional because he has cooperated with ICE and because his detention is not related to the purposes of preventing flight or protecting the community. [MORE]