Politics & Government
LA Man Arrested By ICE In Front Of Sobbing Daughter Likely To Avoid Deportation
A man whose sobbing daughter filmed his detention by ICE agents in a video that went viral will likely avoid deportation.
LOS ANGELES, CA — A man whose daughter filmed his detention by federal immigration agents will likely avoid deportation due to the Los Angeles City Attorney's concurrence with a judge's ruling on the case, City Councilman Gil Cedillo said Wednesday.
Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel while dropping off one of his daughters at Academia Avance in Highland Park on Feb. 28. His case gained widespread attention with the dissemination of video footage taken by another of his daughters, who filmed the incident while sobbing.
Avelica-Gonzalez was detained due to two prior convictions for receiving stolen property in 1998 and a DUI in 2008.
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The DUI case was vacated by the judge last month, and on Friday, his 1998 conviction was vacated by a judge who ruled that a waiver form was not properly filled out as required by state law.
"The city attorney has demonstrated that reasonable efforts by prosecutors can help to keep families intact and avoid the severe penalty of deportation which can result from certain criminal convictions," said Steve Escovar, Avelica-Gonzalez's attorney.
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The City Attorney's Office had previously argued that Avelica-Gozalez's argument to have the conviction vacated had no legal grounds.
"I'd like to thank City Attorney Mike Feuer for ensuring that Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez's case was treated with fairness and all evidence considered in our pursuit of justice for this Angeleno. We said we were going to have a talk with the city attorney and we did," said Cedillo, who represents the Highland Park neighborhood where Avelica-Gonzalez was detailed.
"Romulo represents a movement for family unity and reunification, a cornerstone of our city's values and immigration advocacy foundation," he said. "We denounce ICE in our neighborhoods as well as the tearing apart of our families and communities. The ramifications of this arrest will endure long after this case is closed. Our people are living in fear of ICE every day."
City News Service
