Rare victory…
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — One man is back home after a successful hearing at immigration court.
The man, identified as YZLH, was arrested last month after his immigration hearing in downtown Portland, just one of the steps many asylum seekers take to become lawful U.S. citizens. He has been released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in Tacoma, Washington, and he’s now back home in Newport, Oregon, with his family.
YZLH spent several weeks at the detention center in Tacoma. His lawyers told KOIN 6 News he spent two nights sleeping on the floor of two different facilities because there was no bed space.
Attorneys at Innovation Law Lab said this all started last month on June 5, during their client’s latest court hearing in two years of seeking asylum in the U.S. to escape threats of violence from a Mexican cartel. YZLH’s lawyers said the proceeding was dismissed before ICE agents arrested him as soon as he left the downtown Portland court.
“He’s been following all the rules. He’s been attending his court hearings, attending his check-ins. He had finished his scheduled court hearing, during which his proceedings were dismissed over his objection. He left the court hearing and was immediately arrested by ICE,” Tess Hellgren with Innovation Law Lab said.
Hellgren said Tuesday’s ruling ordering YZLH’s release was a win for the firm. But there are still other battles the lawyers at Innovation Law Lab are fighting. Innovation Law Lab also represents OJM; she’s the transgender woman arrested after her immigration hearing.
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