An immigrant from Mexico who had taken refuge in a North Carolina church for almost a year was arrested upon his arrival to a scheduled appointment with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in Morrisville, North Carolina. Samuel Oliver-Bruno was arrested by agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as soon as he entered the building where his appointment was to be held. This ICE arrest sparked protests and outrage among immigration activists and led to the arrest of 27 individuals at the scene of Oliver-Bruno’s arrest.

A Humanitarian Crisis

Oliver-Bruno first entered the U.S. in 1994 and married two years later. His wife had a green card and was legally able to live and work in the U.S. He and his wife returned to Mexico in 2011 to care for his ailing father. Shortly after his return to Mexico, Oliver-Bruno’s wife returned to this country for open-heart surgery. Oliver-Bruno attempted to follow his wife to provide support and comfort for her. At that time, ICE determined that Oliver-Bruno was using fraudulent documents to enter the country and pursued legal action against him. He was convicted of illegal entry to the United States and scheduled for deportation back to Mexico.

Luring Immigrants From Places of Refuge

In December 2017, Oliver-Bruno sought sanctuary in CityWell United Methodist Church in Durham, North Carolina, which is the church he and his wife had attended since 1994. ICE has generally not been willing to enter churches, hospitals and educational institutions in pursuit of undocumented immigrants because of the bad media coverage that would usually follow raids in these protected areas. By luring Oliver-Bruno out from this refuge by subterfuge, ICE and USCIS demonstrated their willingness to cooperate as agencies in pursuing their agenda against otherwise law-abiding but undocumented workers in the United States.

Protecting Yourself and Your Family

For immigrants in our area, enlisting the professional help of an Orlando immigration lawyer can provide added protection against actions by ICE. Your Orlando immigration lawyer can often resolve issues with visas and can help you to remain in this country legally. This can ensure that you and your family are safe and secure while living and working in the United States.

If you need the services of a qualified and experienced Orlando immigration lawyer, call Pozo Goldstein today at 407-956-4359 to schedule a free in-office consultation with our team of attorneys. We look forward to the chance to work with you and your family.