Maryland pastor detained by ICE after 24 years in US; lawmakers call for release
Daniel Fuentes Espinal, 54, a father of three from Honduras, has led the Iglesia del Nazareno Jesus Te Ama in Easton since 2015. ICE said his family left Honduras due to violence in 2001, and Fuentes Espinal got a visa to stay in the US for six months, according to a Baltimore Sun report.
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Daniel Fuentes Espinal lived in US for past 24 years
ICE revealed in a statement, 'Fuentes entered the United States on a 6-month visa and never left in 24 years. It is a federal crime to overstay the authorized period of time granted under a visitors visa.'
His daughter, Clarissa Fuentes Diaz, who was eight when she arrived in the US with him, was recently told she would become a US citizen. She told several outlets that her father, who also works construction, was followed to a Lowe's and arrested while doing errands.
Fuentes Espinal was held in Salisbury and Baltimore before being moved to Winn Correctional Center, a private prison used by ICE in northwest Louisiana, according to Fuentes Diaz. The site is about an hour from ICE's detention center in Jena, where Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil was held for over three months.
Maryland Matters reported that Fuentes Espinal's other two children were born in the US.
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Maryland Democratic Reps write letter to Kristi Noem
Maryland Democratic Reps. Sarah Elfreth and Glenn Ivey sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem asking for Fuentes Espinal's release. They pointed out that he has no criminal record in over 20 years in the US.
The letter read, 'We believe that the arrest and detention of Pastor Espinal does not reflect this Administration's repeated commitment to arrest, detain, and remove violent criminals.'
'… His arrest and detention by ICE does nothing to further your state goals of making America safer.'
The Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations also spoke out, calling Fuentes Espinal a 'widely respected pastor' who tried to gain citizenship.
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CAIR's Maryland director speaks over the matter
CAIR's Maryland director, Zainab Chaudry, said in a statement, 'Detaining a widely respected pastor who has been serving the Maryland community for twenty years while attempting to rectify his legal status sends a chilling message.'
'We call on ICE to immediately release this pastor and stop wasting government resources targeting immigrants who have done nothing but contribute to our society.'
As of Saturday morning, a GoFundMe for Fuentes Espinal's legal costs and family support had raised more than $33,000 of its $40,000 goal.
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