Nacho and Heidi granted bond by immigration judge
Vermont Business Magazine A judge has ordered the release of José Ignacio “Nacho” De La Cruz and Heidi Perez. Both appeared in a Massachusetts immigration court today, where Immigration Judge Natalie Smith granted bond.
On June 14th, Nacho and stepdaughter Heidi were delivering food to farmworkers in Richford, Vermont, when they were pulled over by officials from the U.S. Border Patrol. Agents smashed their car window and violently detained the two community leaders, according to the organization Migrant Justice. The detainment sparked frequent protests over the past several weeks, as hundreds rallied denouncing Border Patrol’s actions and nearly 8,000 signed a petition calling for their release.
Represented by the Center for Justice Reform at the Vermont Law and Graduate School, and the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project, Nacho and Heidi challenged the constitutionality of their detention in federal court while simultaneously contesting their removal in immigration court. After a federal judge delayed a decision to release them earlier this week, the two filed bond motions in immigration court, leading to today’s rulings. [see orders for Nacho and Heidi]
Bond has been paid with the support of the Vermont Freedom Fund and the two are expected to be released to family and community supporters shortly.
Rossy Alfaro, mother to Heidi, partner to Nacho, and leader in Migrant Justice, celebrated the ruling, saying in a statement: “Today, we showed that our unity makes us strong. We won't be defeated. And every day, the Migrant Justice community grows even stronger. Together, we will continue to fight to ensure that injustices like the one my family is suffering from won't happen to others. We won't allow our families to be separated."
De La Cruz is also part of an ongoing criminal investigation into smuggling undocumented immigrants into Northern Vermont, according to records filed in federal court.
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