Jimenez first came to the United States from Mexico to escape an abusive father when he was 17.
For years he reported yearly to an ICE office in Charlotte and received a work permit. But in 2017, the federal agency told him it would not extend his permit and ordered him to leave the country.
Ten years earlier, Jimenez was pulled over for a broken taillight and arrested under a program that allowed sheriff’s deputies to identify undocumented immigrants and hand them over to ICE. While in detention he was forced to sign his own deportation order. His lawyer maintains this was a violation of his Fourth Amendment due-process rights.
“There’s a very real question about this specific stipulated order of removal, especially now that the case is on appeal,” said Guirguis. “We are not considering the order of removal valid.”
ICE has now agreed to respect the ongoing legal process and Guirguis said she will ask ICE to grant Jimenez a work permit until a final determination is made.
Jimenez has no criminal convictions.
Until he gets a work permit, Jimenez will stay at Umstead Park UCC — likely several more weeks.
A young, mostly white congregation with a large number of LGBTQ members, Umstead Park UCC has long been committed to progressive social values. The church is not meeting for in-person services yet, but Long, the pastor, said a celebration of Jimenez’s release is being planned.
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This article originally appeared on ReligionNews.com.
