Latest news with #Colindres
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Demonstrators return to Butler County Jail to demand protester's release
HAMILTON, Ohio — The morning after an anti-ICE protest attended by hundreds, a group of more than 30 people returned to the sidewalk in front of the Butler County Jail to denounce the jail and its officers and to chant: "Immigrants are welcome here." The demonstrators, organized by Cincinnati Socialists, a local political organization, were there to call for the release of one of their members and for all people detained at the jail by ICE. Cincinnati Socialists and others protested the Butler County Sheriff's Office's contract with ICE in front of the jail on June 8. Drew Vasser, the political group's media representative, said at least a couple hundred people showed up to the protest. A press release from the sheriff's office said the demonstration drew around 500 people. One protester, 26-year-old Cayley Baker who lives near Dayton, was arrested by Hamilton police officers, according to jail records obtained by The Enquirer. Baker was charged with felony assault and four misdemeanors: obstructing official business, resisting arrest, failure to disclose personal information and disorderly conduct. Baker was held at the Butler County Jail on a $5,000 bond and was released hours after the protest began on June 9. She has a preliminary hearing for the felony charge scheduled for June 16. The sheriff's office said most of the protesters assembled peacefully, but some were obstructing traffic in the street and creating a safety hazard, so officers were deployed to maintain order. Vasser said officers tried to intervene in the demonstration about halfway through. "One of our marshals basically got caught in the crossfire trying to protect the people from the cops," he said, referring to Baker. "She had her hands up. She was trying to keep the cop away from them (the demonstrators) and got pushed over in the process into a car." Cincinnati Socialists learned about ICE agents' arrest of Emerson Colindres, a 19-year-old Honduran immigrant, and invited his family to speak at the June 8 protest. Colindres was arrested June 4 during a routine check-in with ICE officials at the agency's office in Blue Ash. Colindres and his family came to the United States to seek asylum in 2014, when he was 8 years old. His mother said she had been robbed and extorted by gang members, federal court documents show. But an immigration judge denied her asylum application. Colindres graduated from Gilbert A. Dater High School last month and was a top player on the Western Hills soccer team. He also played for the Cincy Galaxy soccer club. In April, members of a Dayton-area church also protested outside the jail after the arrest of Armando Reyes Rodriguez. A Dayton resident from Honduras, Reyes Rodriguez was in the process of seeking asylum and was also arrested during a check-in with ICE officials in Blue Ash. "It's important to highlight that this is continuing to happen. Children (are) being put into these positions," Vasser said. "This is not one person, not even just Butler County ‒ this is a countrywide issue." This story was updated to add a video. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Protesters return to Ohio jail after demonstration ends in an arrest
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cincinnati high school graduate faces deportation after routine ICE check-in
A recent high school graduate in Ohio is facing deportation to Honduras just weeks after receiving his diploma, sparking protests from community members and teammates in Cincinnati. Emerson Colindres, who arrived in the United States as a child over a decade ago, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during what his supporters say was a routine check-in at an ICE facility in Cincinnati suburb Blue Ash last Wednesday. According to his soccer coach Brian Williams, ICE agents were waiting for Colindres at the facility, which operates the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) -- an alternative to detention. "That's when they informed us that they were detaining and deporting Emerson only," Williams told Cincinnati ABC affiliate WCPO. "No explanation was given." Colindres and his family sought asylum after arriving from Honduras, but their case and subsequent appeal were denied with a final removal order issued in 2023. His supporters say the family had been regularly checking in with ICE and were never explicitly told to leave the country. The Department of Homeland Security, responding to inquiries about the case, emphasized their current enforcement policies in a statement to WCPO. "Those arrested had executable final orders of removal by an immigration judge and had not complied with that order. If you are in the country illegally and a judge has ordered you to be removed, that is precisely what will happen," it said. The department also noted that "ICE's ATD-Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) exists to ensure compliance with release conditions." As news of Colindres's detention spread, support from his community has grown steadily. Outside the Cincinnati jail where Colindres is being held, soccer teammates and community members have gathered in protest. "No kid our age should be going through what he's going through. He's alone. He's in a jail cell right now all by himself," Josh Williams, a friend of Colindres, told WCPO. MORE: LA immigration protests live updates: Newsom warns of 'authoritarianism' after Trump threatens his arrest His soccer coach, Brian Williams, became emotional discussing the situation. "Emerson's one of the best kids I've ever met," he told WCPO. "We don't know what we can do, but we're doing whatever we can." Teammates described Colindres as an exceptional player and person. "He's like the best player I've ever seen. He's dedicated. He wants to win," Preston Robinson, a friend and teammate, told WCPO. Robinson emphasized to WCPO that Colindres had no choice in his immigration status as a child. "It's not like he had a say in whether he could or couldn't come," he said. "I just wanted to be here to show that I support him. Support anybody that's going through this, because it's just not fair." The Department of Homeland Security noted in their statement that "ICE's ATD-Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) exists to ensure compliance with release conditions."
7 hours ago
- Politics
Cincinnati high school graduate faces deportation after routine ICE check-in
A recent high school graduate in Ohio is facing deportation to Honduras just weeks after receiving his diploma, sparking protests from community members and teammates in Cincinnati. Emerson Colindres, who arrived in the United States as a child over a decade ago, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during what his supporters say was a routine check-in at an ICE facility in Cincinnati suburb Blue Ash last Wednesday. According to his soccer coach Brian Williams, ICE agents were waiting for Colindres at the facility, which operates the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) -- an alternative to detention. "That's when they informed us that they were detaining and deporting Emerson only," Williams told Cincinnati ABC affiliate WCPO. "No explanation was given." Colindres and his family sought asylum after arriving from Honduras, but their case and subsequent appeal were denied with a final removal order issued in 2023. His supporters say the family had been regularly checking in with ICE and were never explicitly told to leave the country. The Department of Homeland Security, responding to inquiries about the case, emphasized their current enforcement policies in a statement to WCPO. "Those arrested had executable final orders of removal by an immigration judge and had not complied with that order. If you are in the country illegally and a judge has ordered you to be removed, that is precisely what will happen," it said. The department also noted that "ICE's ATD-Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) exists to ensure compliance with release conditions." As news of Colindres's detention spread, support from his community has grown steadily. Outside the Cincinnati jail where Colindres is being held, soccer teammates and community members have gathered in protest. "No kid our age should be going through what he's going through. He's alone. He's in a jail cell right now all by himself," Josh Williams, a friend of Colindres, told WCPO. His soccer coach, Brian Williams, became emotional discussing the situation. "Emerson's one of the best kids I've ever met," he told WCPO. "We don't know what we can do, but we're doing whatever we can." Teammates described Colindres as an exceptional player and person. "He's like the best player I've ever seen. He's dedicated. He wants to win," Preston Robinson, a friend and teammate, told WCPO. Robinson emphasized to WCPO that Colindres had no choice in his immigration status as a child. "It's not like he had a say in whether he could or couldn't come," he said. "I just wanted to be here to show that I support him. Support anybody that's going through this, because it's just not fair." The Department of Homeland Security noted in their statement that "ICE's ATD-Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) exists to ensure compliance with release conditions."
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Yahoo
Churches, schools no longer ‘safe spaces' from ICE for asylum seekers
Kenia Colindres thought she'd be safe going to church like she did with her family every Sunday. However, this past Sunday, her life changed when US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested her husband, Wilson Rogelio Velasquez Cruz, during service at Iglesia Fuente de Vida in Tucker. She told Channel 2′s Eryn Rogers in Spanish that she, Velasquez Cruz, and their three children were in church when her husband got a call. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] She says he didn't answer it and that's when his Immigration GPS ankle monitor started going off. She says he got scared because he always charges it and wasn't sure why it would be going off. She said she told him to go outside to check it, so he wouldn't interrupt the service. When he went outside, ICE agents were waiting and arrested him. Colindres said her family escaped violence in Honduras. She said they came to America two years ago after seeking asylum at the US border. She said that's when her husband was given an Immigration GPS ankle monitor. ICE officials said if someone has a monitor it's for a specific reason. However, they wouldn't say what that reason could or would be. Officials said it's on a case-by-case basis as to what level of monitoring people have to adhere to. Colindres said Velasquez Cruz had never been in trouble and was a man of God who didn't stray. She said he had a work permit that was good for five years, and he was employed at a tire shop. Now, she's worried because she said he paid all the bills while she stayed home with the kids. Peter Tadeo with Tadeo and Silva Law said the government has a new expedited removal policy. It targets people who've immigrated to the country recently, seeking asylum. People who've been here less than two years are most at risk. 'That's scary for a lot of people that entered that way because most of those people haven't been here for two years,' Tadeo said. Colindres said she doesn't know if she and her kids will be deported, too. She was able to speak with her husband on Monday. He told her he won't be able to appeal his case to a judge and that he's being transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin before being deported. ICE said they're not releasing how many arrests they've made in the Atlanta area yet. However, they said they are looking to release those numbers daily in the future. TRENDING STORIES: Security guard accused of shooting customer to death at East Point Family Dollar This is what metro school districts are saying about immigration crackdown across Georgia Feds no longer planning on cleaning up harmful forever chemicals in drinking water [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
