Elected officials in New York City are trying to stop the deportation of
a pizza delivery man who was arrested while bringing food to an Army
base in Brooklyn.
Pablo Villavicencio, an Ecuadorean immigrant, was delivering pizza to
U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hamilton last Friday when he was detained and
handed over to immigration authorities.
In a statement, the
Fort Hamilton Public Affairs Office says security officers discovered an
active ICE warrant during a routine background check. And that the
installation's commanders are authorized to take "reasonably necessary
and lawful measures [to] protect installation personnel and property."
At
a news conference outside the base on Wednesday, Brooklyn Borough
President Eric Adams called it "unimaginable" that Villavicencio went so
quickly "from delivery to detention."
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Source: NPR
Governor Andrew Cuomo Offers Free Legal Representation
UPDATE - 10:54 A.M. (EST)
The Governor issued the following statement:
"The
detention of Pablo Villavicencio as he was delivering pizza at Fort
Hamilton - under the gaze of Lady Liberty - goes against everything we
believe in. Detaining a hardworking man, separating a father from his
children and tearing apart communities doesn't make America safe, and a
wrong minded immigration policy grounded in bias and cruelty doesn't
make America great.
"New
York stands ready to provide Mr. Villavicencio and his family with free
legal representation and services though the Liberty Defense Project,
which is the nation's first state-led project to assist immigrants,
regardless of status, in obtaining access to legal services. In the face
of the federal government's assault on immigrants, we will protect our
values and fight for the rights of all New Yorkers."
"I will fight this outrageous affront to Pablo Villavicencio and to all of us."
Source: Press Office, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
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