A Dallas community leader who was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody earlier this month has been denied bond.
Omar Salazar has been at the Blue Bonnet Detention Facility in Anson, 200 miles west of Dallas, since he was arrested during a routine traffic stop outside of Lubbock over Labor Day weekend.
A judge on Wednesday denied Salazar bond, citing a ruling by the federal Board of Immigration Appeals that migrants in deportation proceedings who entered the country 鈥渨ithout inspection鈥� are not eligible for bond.
"This is a case where we're hoping that common sense intervenes and they exercise the discretion to release Omar Salazar,鈥� Salazar鈥檚 attorney Jacob Monty told 四虎影院. 鈥淒isappointed, but we're still hopeful that he'll be released soon."
Monty told 四虎影院 he plans to present a parole request next week to the Department of Homeland Security.
鈥淚t is a written request and we're citing the justification for it, and it is certainly discretionary, but we believe the Omar Salazar case really has the merits to justify an intervention by DHS,鈥� Monty said. 鈥淎nd we are hoping that that will happen.鈥�
Salazar said in a statement, shared on the Stand With Omar Instagram account managed by his friends, that he remains "stoic, level headed and strong." "It seems that this will be a marathon, not a race. As such, I ask for your strength, patience, and support for just a while longer. As long as each of you are doing okay, I will be okay here too."
ICE has not shared details with 四虎影院 about Salazar's arrest earlier this month or responded to previous requests for comment.
Salazar came to the U.S. from Mexico with his family as a child but never received U.S. citizenship. He went on to graduate from Southern Methodist University, where he was a Hunt scholar, and now works in the AI industry. Monty said Salazar has no criminal history and isn't a flight risk.
Salazar鈥檚 friends have started a letter writing campaign to show elected officials 鈥渢hat Omar is loved, rooted in community and deserves to be home.鈥�
A benefit concert is being planned for Salazar and migrant families next week at Mi Barrio 214, an art gallery and coffee shop located in Southeast Dallas.
鈥淗e is someone that is truly not a criminal, truly doesn't deserve to have been rounded up by ICE,鈥� League of United Latin American Citizens leader Rey De Los Santos told a community gathering in Oak Cliff last Saturday.
鈥淗e truly needs our support and I hope you can do that. Hundreds, if not thousands of people that have been impacted by him."
Priscilla Rice is 四虎影院鈥檚 communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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