The Palm Beach pizzeria manager facing deportation to Mexico because of mistakes he made as a young man chose not to attend a meeting with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) out of fear he would be arrested.
Richard Hujber, the lawyer for father-of-three Francisco Javier Gonzalez, told The Palm Beach Daily News he wanted to make sure there was no chance Gonzalez would be taken into custody and deported during what was to have been a brief check-in with immigration officials Tuesday.
"The day of the appointment, we were ultimately able to communicate that he would not be attending since there was no real reason for him to do so, and this was not a problem with DHS/ICE," Hujber added in an email to Newsmax.
Gonzalez, who manages the popular Pizza Al Fresco restaurant – two miles north of north of President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club – has been ordered by ICE to return to his native Mexico by July 3 under the commander in chief's zero-tolerance immigration policy
Hujber is seeking a federal court stay of that order, but if and when that ruling will come is unknown.
Gonzalez came to the U.S. at age 15 to live with his brother and after high school, returned to Mexico to visit his parents in 2001. When he flew back, he was told his visa was not valid and was deported and banned from returning for five years. But he crossed the border illegally during that time.
And despite his marriage to a U.S. citizen, the illegal crossing has stopped him from obtaining a green card. In 2016, Gonzalez received an "administrative stay," officials now say he is subject to ouster again.
"I made a dumb mistake," Gonzalez, who has attended immigration meetings for several years in an attempt to make amends, has said.
His dilemma has triggered a Change.org petition drive to stop the deportation, which as of Wednesday has more than 128,000 signatures, many from his loyal customers.
It states: "Francisco speaks perfect English and has no criminal history in the U.S. or any other country in the world. He obtained his education, works hard, pays his taxes, and lives an exemplary life abiding by all U.S. laws."
Gonzalez has three daughters, ages 10, 7, and 5, and he and other Palm Beach residents are worried how the family will cope if he is deported.
Hujber told the Daily News on Wednesday there is still hope for Gonzalez.
"A lot can happen in between now and a week," Hujber said.
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