Supporters of Jose Luis Sanchez Ranquillo say they expect to know as early as Tuesday if he faces imminent deportation, or has a chance of remaining in the U.S.
The Ann Arbor father of two is fighting to say in the country.
Family members say Sanchez was detained after what he thought was a routine immigration check-in last week.
That’s not a new thing. But anecdotally, immigration attorneys say it seems to have picked up steam in the early days of the Trump administration.
Deportations hit an all-time high under President Obama before declining in recent years, as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement switched focus to people with criminal backgrounds.
Sanchez’s supporters say he has no criminal record and should remain a “low priority” for deportation.
Leticia Valdez of Ann Arbor has known Sanchez and his family for six years. She says he’s a “quiet guy” who spends most of his time working two jobs to support his family.
Valdez worries about the effect deporting him could have on his two sons, who are 14 and 11.
“It’s going to seal not just Jose Luis’s future, but it’s going to seal their [family’s] future,” Valdez said. “And I have to stop it.
“His wife is torn apart. She’s scared that she’s going to be taken away too, and then her boys are not going to have anybody. Her boys are scared.”
Sanchez has had removal orders stayed in the past, says his attorney, Monica Smith.
“We’re asking for a stay of removal for at least another year, while we try to find a way for him to stay here on a more permanent basis,” Smith said.
Smith said she expects to know early on Tuesday whether Sanchez will be immediately deported, or stayed while a judge hears his emergency motion for a stay.
