SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) —The family of a South Bay man, who is a longtime green card holder, is calling for his release after he was recently detained and put into ICE custody.
“My dad has been separated from us and there could be a possibility of him completely being removed from us,” said Alejandra Sanchez, whose father was detained last week.
Raul Sanchez’s family described him as a loving father and husband, a hard-worker and a man of faith.
Since Wednesday, he’s been at an ICE detention facility in Otay Mesa following his arrest while driving to an immigration appointment in San Ysidro, not far from his home.
His daughter Alejandra said the situation started unraveling in April after her parents returned from a trip to Europe.
“Upon arriving at LAX he was pulled to the side by secondary and immigration, then held him in a holding cell. They removed his green card and his Mexican passport,” she said.
Alejandra said her dad was brought to the U.S. from Mexico when he was two years old and has been a permanent resident since.
When he was in his 20’s, the now 50-year-old served time behind bars for a nonviolent drug offense in 2001.
Immigration attorney Saman Nasseri told FOX 5/KUSI that cases which weren’t enforcement priorities under the previous administration are now.
“I have about a dozen or so cases from 12-13 years ago that are now getting reopened with the court too,” Nasseri said.
He explained that once immigration proceedings begin “some of those cases do go our way, especially when they look at how long ago was the conviction and then what other equities now and what relief they might qualify for.”
Meanwhile, back in the Sanchez home, it’s tough for Alejandra to walk past her dad’s work station without getting choked up. She recalled “being able to go to a Padres game or to the fair which unfortunately he wasn’t able to go.”
However, she said they are staying positive even in the uncertainty.
“We have a huge community rallying around him and a lot of people aware of what’s going on,” Alejandra said.
FOX 5/KUSI reached out to ICE and CBP for comment but did not hear back in time for this report.
Meanwhile, the Sanchez family said friends and family have written letters of support and started a fundraiser for Raul ahead of his court hearing on Monday.
