A Salvadoran father who was arrested by Alexandria police and handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spoke out after spending nearly two months in a detention center.
The 27-year-old Salvadoran man, who asked not to be identified, said his ordeal began in the Alexandria jail. He was arrested by police officers in late May while helping with a move.
“‘You have a warrant for your arrest,'” the man said the officers told him. “And I said, ‘What? Okay, fine.’ Because the only thing they say is, everything you say will be used against you, so you’re afraid to speak up.”
The man’s lawyers told Telemundo 44 that the incident stemmed from what they described as a mistake. According to Fairfax County court documents, there had been a domestic case against the man, but it had been closed.
But when the man failed to appear for a hearing, the judge issued an arrest warrant instead of rescheduling the hearing. Rescheduling is what typically takes place in these cases, his lawyer said.
“It was a month I never imagined,” the Salvadoran man said in Spanish. “It was a month of so much trauma.”
The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office told Telemundo 44 that, following protocol, they handed the man over to immigration authorities, who transferred him to the ICE detention center in Farmville, Virginia.
After weeks of immigration court hearings, the Salvadoran man was released on bail. He now awaits a new immigration court date in October, but his fear has not yet subsided.
“If someone comes to court and is arrested on the way back, where are the words and signature of the judge?” he said.
After getting out of ICE detention, he said he feels happy, and feels that God opened the doors to release him. Video shows a tearful reunion, and tight hugs, with his family after his release.
“I’m in the process, but right now it’s scary to continue fighting for asylum,” the man said.
The Salvadoran man and his family shared a message of hope for the community: Fight for immigration cases, especially when a loved one has been detained.
This story was first reported in Spanish by our sister station, Telemundo 44. Para leer en español, haz clic aquí.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
