Father whose arrest fuelled outrage freed

Undocumented man was arrested in Los Angeles when he was taking his children to school

An undocumented father and US resident who was arrested earlier this year as he took his children to school has been released on bond, according to his lawyers.

Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez, a Mexican who has lived in the United States for nearly three decades, was arrested in late February by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) near his children’s school in the Highland Park neighbourhood of Los Angeles.

On Wednesday an immigration judge in San Bernardino County ordered his release on $6,000 (Dh22,038) bond, ruling Avelica-Gonzalez merits “discretionary release from custody” because of community connections “and critical ties to this country,” according to a statement from his lawyers.

One of his four daughters, Fatima, had filmed her father’s arrest from the back seat of the car he had been driving, sobbing as she recorded the incident.

The arrest came as federal agents were launching sweeps across the US following President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration.

The video went viral, sparking outrage and coming to symbolise damage inflicted by the evictions of unauthorised migrants. Avelica’s four daughters are American and rely on their father’s income.

‘Hard to believe’

“I almost cannot believe that my father will be back home with us,” said Fatima. “This has been the most devastating six months of my life. But I have learnt the power and strength of my family and community united.” “I will never unlearn that.” The release does not yet give Avelica-Gonzalez the right to remain in the United States. His legal proceedings will continue in immigration court.

ICE spokespeople reached by AFP declined to comment.

Immediately following his release Avelica-Gonzalez vowed to “savour every minute with my family.”

“I will fight for my right to remain with them and in this country,” he said. “And I will never again be able to look away from how deportations are tearing families apart.”