In September 2017, Alex Garcia, a 36-year-old Honduran immigrant, entered sanctuary from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He’s lived in the U.S. for 13 years and fled Honduras because of the violence and danger he feared in his home country. Honduras currently has one of the highest murder rates in the world.
Since arriving in the U.S., Garcia has made a home in Poplar Bluff. He is married and has five children. He’s also an experienced construction worker and handyman.
Garcia has been living in a church, a setting ICE officials note “sensitive” and do not forcibly enter to take individuals into custody, for 10 months. That’s because his request to stay in the country was denied last summer. It’s part of an initiative by the current administration to tighten immigration restrictions.
During the time he’s been in sanctuary, Garcia and his supporters have raised money and looked into the many ways to get Garcia the ability to stay in the U.S.
And on May 25, he received a visit from U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay. The representative supports Garcia and hopes to find a way to keep him in the country. Clay said that process begins with making an appeal to ICE.
The experienced attorneys at the Law Offices of Thomas E. Kennedy III are experts in civil rights law. If you believe that you or someone you know has been unjustly impacted because of their national origin, the attorneys at the Law Offices of Thomas E. Kennedy III want to hear your story. Contact us.