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April 2-April 8, 2021
Queens small business owner released from ICE
custody after advocacy from immigrant groups
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
Queens resident Edward
Alonso Castillo, who was arrested
and detained by Immigration
and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) in January, was
released from custody after
nearly two months in jail.
Make the Road New York
(MRNY), who is representing
Alonso and his family, announced
that Alonso was released
on Friday, March 19,
following multiple urgent requests
by their lawyers over the
past month as well as support
from nearly 1,000 community
members who signed an online
petition calling for his immediate
release.
“I am so happy to be back
home with my family. While
detained, my health was deteriorating
and I knew that they
could not give me the care that
I needed,” Alonso, an undocumented
immigrant from Mexico,
said.
Alonso, 48, was arrested
on Jan. 28 while on his way to
work at Babylon Bagel, a restaurant
in Long Island he coowns
with his partner Rocio,
and was held at Orange County
Jail in Goshen, New York. An
ICE spokesperson said Alonso
was taken into custody due to
a misdemeanor domestic violence
charge from September
Rocio and Edward Alonso Castillo Photo courtesy of Make the Road New York
2020, which is in the process of
being dismissed, and his previous
history with law enforcement.
In February, Alonso, who
has a history of strokes and
wears a cardiac monitor, was
admitted to a hospital due to
severe chest pains while at the
jail. He was later rushed to the
hospital another time, and was
removed from his unit at Orange
County Jail after it was
placed in medical quarantine
lockdown for two weeks due
to suspected COVID-19 cases
in the facility, according to
MRNY.
On March 9, Alonso won his
asylum reasonable fear review
before an immigration judge,
allowing him to fight his removal
proceedings and preventing
ICE from deporting him until
his proceedings are complete,
according to MRNY. But they
said ICE denied Alonso’s parole
a day after, even as a medical
review concluded that Alonso
is at high risk of health complications
and of suffering severe
complications from COVID-19
due to his underlying conditions.
Now, Alonso is back home
in Jamaica with his children
and partner, and said he’ll receive
the medical attention he
needs.
“Every day, I worried about
my health and I did not know
if I was going to be able to see
my family again,” Alonso said.
“I’m so thankful for the incredible
support I received for my
release.”
The immigrant rights group
maintain that Alonso’s long
delayed release is alarming
due to ICE’s new enforcement
guidelines under the Joe Biden
administration, which they say
does not make him a priority
for arrest nor deportation.
Jackie Pearce, senior raids
response attorney at MRNY,
said they’re “thrilled” Alonso
was released and is recovering
at home.
“But it should not have
taken a month of advocacy and
the enormous support of his
community to get this result,”
Pearce said. “Alonso’s case
shows that ICE must be held
accountable to the new enforcement
priorities and the agency
should immediately release all
people from detention who do
not meet those priorities.”
Vol. 9, No. 14 32 total pages
2021
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