Huffman writes bill to save San Rafael man from deportation

September 14, 2017

A San Rafael man being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since May under threat of deportation would be released and allowed to stay in the country under a new bill introduced by Rep. Jared Huffman.

If passed by Congress, Huffman’s legislation, known as a “private” bill, would make Hugo Mejia eligible to become a lawful permanent U.S. resident, enabling him to apply for a “green card” and stay reunited with his family without fear of a future deportation.

“The Marin community has come together in support of Hugo Mejia, an exemplary father, neighbor, employee and tax-paying member of the community,” Huffman, D-San Rafael, said in a statement released Thursday. “In other words, he is exactly the type of person that Donald Trump promised he would not target for a summary deportation.”

Mejia, the subject of several support rallies in Marin and in San Francisco, was arrested in early May when he reported for work on a construction job at Travis Air Force Base in Vallejo. His co-worker, Rodrigo Nunez of Hayward, was also arrested and has since been deported.

Mejia, who is undocumented and was being held on an old deportation order from 2001, remains incarcerated at the ICE detention center in Elk Grove.

A father of three and a union construction worker, Mejia has been active in community and school programs. He has no criminal record in the U.S.

“Hugo Mejia has been a law-abiding member of our community for over 15 years,” said Jessica Marker, director of partnerships at Venetia Valley School in San Rafael, in Thursday’s statement. “He and his family volunteer regularly at their schools and neighboring institutions — he is an honorable and beloved person to all who know him.”

Huffman called for bipartisan support for the bill “to provide a path to citizenship for everyone in Hugo’s position,” he said. “(Mejia) is being unfairly kept in detention far from his family, missing his children’s birthdays and first communions — and occupying jail space that should be reserved for real criminals who are threats to public safety.”

Kenneth Rigmaiden, general president of International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, agreed with Huffman.

“The IUPAT has and will continue to fight hard to return Hugo to his family,” Rigmaiden said in the statement. “We call on Congress to swiftly move to pass this bill to ensure a good father and a good craftsman is returned to our community.”

According to Huffman, if the private bill is approved by the House and Senate, it would rescind any existing removal orders against Mejia and bar the Homeland Security Department from removing him from the U.S. while he applies for lawful permanent resident status. That process includes an application, a fee and a waiting period.


Source: by Keri Brenner