Pizza delivery man granted emergency stay against deportation
NEW YORK -- A federal judge has temporarily blocked the deportation of a New York pizza shop worker in danger of being sent back to Ecuador. Federal Judge Alison Nathan granted the stay until July 20, and Pablo Villavicencio will remain in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody until his case goes to court.
Attorneys for the Legal Aid Society obtained the temporary stay for Villavicencio after a hearing in Manhattan federal court Saturday.
Villavicencio was arrested on June 1 when he tried to make a delivery to the Fort Hamilton garrison in Brooklyn. A routine background check revealed there was a warrant for his arrest for immigration law violations.
"Please ICE, do the right thing with my husband," his wife Sandra Chica said earlier this week, CBS New York reports.
The undocumented immigrant from Ecuador was arrested while delivering pizza to Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn last week. A routine ID check showed an outstanding deportation warrant from 2010.
"He is trying to stay here the legal way. Please don't stop him, don't take him away from us," said Chica.
According to CBS New York, the father of two has an open green card application.
Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo asked federal homeland security officials to look into the case, saying recent detentions raise significant legal questions.