Urgent: Stop ICE from deporting a Mexican national who was sexually assaulted in their custody!

August 2, 2017Shahid Haque
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ICE is moving to immediately deport Audemio Orozco-Ramirez, a Mexican national who was sexually assaulted in their custody!  Please sign a petition to help stop it.

By Shahid Haque, Immigration Attorney

On the morning of August 2, 2017, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) agents arrested Audemio Orozco-Ramirez, the victim of a sexual assault that occurred in ICE custody in October 2013.  Mr. Orozco-Ramirez is a Mexican national and father of seven children (six of whom are U.S. citizens, and one with valid immigration status under DACA), and has been living in the United States for over 20 years.  In a shift from its normal protocols, ICE is taking steps to transport Mr. Orozco-Ramirez directly to Utah to stage his deportation.

Mr. Orozco-Ramirez’s 2013 sexual assault happened while he was in ICE custody in Boulder, Montana, and garnered statewide media attention, especially in light of missing surveillance video from the night of the rape.  After this sexual assault, ICE released Mr. Orozco-Ramirez from custody under an “Order of Supervision.”  This allowed Mr. Orozco-Ramirez to return to his family and legally work, as he has done for almost four years now.  He has been checking in with ICE every month since then.  This morning, after his routine check-in, Mr. Orozco-Ramirez was arrested and ICE is now taking steps to immediately deport him.

In July 2015, Mr. Orozco-Ramirez filed suit against the Jefferson County detention facility that was under contact with ICE to house immigration detainees, and last year he won a $125,000 settlement against the county stemming from this assault.

Mr. Orozco-Ramirez should be entitled to a “U visa,” a special visa created by Congress to assist the victim of a serious crime who cooperates with law enforcement in the investigation of the crime.  If ICE would only certify that Mr. Orozco-Ramirez cooperated in the investigation of this crime, his deportation would be stopped.  However, despite Mr. Orozco-Ramirez’s requests to ICE, they have not taken any formal action to approve or deny this “U visa” certification.

Since his assault in 2013, over 400 people have signed a public petition asking ICE to stop Mr. Orozco-Ramirez’s deportation.

Please sign this petition and contact the officials in DHS who can put a stop to this!

[Petition is removed.]

ICE Contact: Laurence Carroll, Supervisory Detention and Deportation Officer

(406) 495-2170

Laurence.J.Carroll@ice.dhs.gov

Advocating for immigrants.

The Border Crossing Law Firm is a full-service immigration law firm, offering help with visas, green cards, citizenship, and deportation proceedings. We have been committed to the immigrant community for two decades, representing thousands of immigrants and their families across the country.

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