SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Coworkers and family are rallying to support a longtime green card holder and beloved legal assistant who was detained by ICE last month while returning from a trip to Japan.
Victor Avila, 66, of Chula Vista, who has held a green card since 1967, was detained on May 7 at an airport in the Bay Area as he and his wife returned from visiting their son stationed in the Air Force in Japan.
"They let her through, kept him behind," said Carina Mejia, Avila's daughter.
Mejia said her father was detained by ICE at the airport for several weeks "in a room, sleeping on chairs" before being transferred to a detention facility near Bakersfield.
According to Mejia, her father legally immigrated to San Diego from Mexico as a teen with his family in 1967 and has held a green card ever since. She explained that in 2009, he was pulled over and arrested for a DUI and drug possession, eventually serving a few months in jail.
"Two misdemeanors. Served all his time, paid all he had to pay," Mejia said. "Since then, he’s been a good man, a hard worker. Hasn't gotten into trouble, not one time. He's dedicated himself to his family."
Mejia said immigration authorities renewed her father's green card twice since the arrest. Avila, a father of four and grandfather of six, has worked for Kiwan & Chambers, a workers' compensation law firm in University Heights, for 15 years as a legal assistant.
Coworkers have started fundraisers and written letters to ICE in support of him.
"He's a productive member of society. It was a nonviolent offense. He’s paid his dues. Detaining him is very unjust," Mejia said.
Immigration lawyers across the country have reported ICE has begun cracking down on permanent residents with long-resolved criminal offenses. Mejia said deportation proceedings have been initiated against her father.
“I’ve visited him several times. There are days he's hopeful, optimistic. Then there's days he mentally prepares himself for the worst," Mejia said.
"I want my dad back. I want my dad home," she said.
A hearing to begin Avila's deportation proceedings will take place July 15 at the facility near Bakersfield. ICE officials have not yet responded to requests for comment on the case.
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