Father Of Two Who Regularly Checked In With ICE, Arrested For Deportation To El Salvador

HOUSTON, TX -- A Houston area man who has been living in the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant since he was 14-years old is in danger of being deported to El Salvador.

Jose Escobar, who has no criminal history, crossed the Arizona border with his mother in 2001.

Since then, Escobar has married and started a family, and for the last five years was checking in faithfully with federal immigration officials.

Despite all of that, Escobar never filled out the paperwork that would have helped him obtain legal status.

Because of that, federal authorities said Escobar has known for several years that deportation was a growing possibility.

According to federal immigration authorities, Escobar was ordered out of the country in 2006, and became a fugitive until his arrest in 2011. (For news updates on this story and other Houston news, just click here to get Patch's daily newsletter and free, real-time news alerts).

Escobar spent seven months in jail and was released in 2012, and told to prepare to be sent back to El Salvador.

Instead obtained a work permit that allowed him to remain in the U.S., and check in with immigration officials.

He also applied for protection under DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, but his application was denied because Escobar didn’t have a high school diploma from an accredited school.

On Wednesday, Feb. 22, Escobar was ordered to report to the immigration office, and was arrested by ICE agents.

Escobar is scheduled to be deported soon, and the prospect is devastating to his wife, Rose Marie Ascencio-Escobar, who believes the system failed her and her family.

Right now, the Immigrant Families and Students in the Struggle organization is helping Ascencio-Escobar with legal advice and helping the family obtain an attorney to head off deportation efforts already underway.

Image: Fibonnaci Blue via Flickr

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