Latest news with #FuentesEspinal
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
ICE arrests Maryland pastor for overstaying visa, holds him in Louisiana
BALTIMORE - A pastor from Maryland's Eastern Shore has been arrested by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and transported to a detention facility in Louisiana after the agency said he overstayed his visa. Daniel Fuentes Espinal, a 54-year-old father of three originally from Honduras, has been pastor of the Iglesia del Nazareno Jesus Te Ama (Church of the Nazarene Jesus Loves You) in Easton since 2015. His family fled violence in Honduras in 2001, when ICE said Fuentes Espinal was granted a visa to remain in the U.S. for six months. "Fuentes entered the United States on a 6-month visa and never left in 24 years. It is a federal crime to overstay the authorized period of time granted under a visitors visa," ICE said in a statement. Fuentes Espinal's daughter, Clarissa Fuentes Diaz, was eight years old when she left Honduras with her father and was recently notified she would become a U.S. citizen. She told multiple news outlets that Fuentes Espinal, who also works in construction, was followed to a Lowe's hardware store on the day of his arrest and taken into custody while running routine errands. Fuentes Espinal was held in Salisbury and Baltimore before being moved to the Winn Correctional Center, a private prison facility used by ICE to detain immigrants in northwestern Louisiana, according to Fuentes Diaz. This facility is about an hour's drive from an ICE detention center in the town of Jena, where Columbia University pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil was held for more than three months. Fuentes Espinal's two other children were born in the U.S., according to Maryland Matters. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who emerged as a leader among Democrats by visiting El Salvador when Kilmar Abrego Garcia was wrongfully deported this spring, told Maryland Matters that his office has been in contact with Fuentes Espinal's family and is continuing to monitor the situation. Maryland Reps. Sarah Elfreth and Glenn Ivey, both Democrats, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, calling for Fuentes Espinal's release. The letter notes that Fuentes Espinal has no criminal record in his more than two decades living in the U.S. "We believe that the arrest and detention of Pastor Espinal does not reflect this Administration's repeated commitment to arrest, detain, and remove violent criminals," the letter reads. "… His arrest and detention by ICE does nothing to further your state goals of making America safer." The Maryland Office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations also condemned the arrest, calling Fuentes Espinal a "widely respected pastor" who has tried to obtain American citizenship. "Detaining a widely respected pastor who has been serving the Maryland community for twenty years while attempting to rectify his legal status sends a chilling message," CAIR's Maryland director, Zainab Chaudry, said in a statement. "We call on ICE to immediately release this pastor and stop wasting government resources targeting immigrants who have done nothing but contribute to our society." As of Saturday morning, a GoFundMe campaign for Fuentes Espinal's legal expenses and to support his family had raised more than $28,000 of its $40,000 goal. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Maryland pastor detained by ICE after 24 years in US; lawmakers call for release
A pastor from Maryland's Eastern Shore was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and moved to a detention center in Louisiana after officials said he overstayed his visa. Fuentes Espinal was held in Salisbury and Baltimore before being moved to Winn Correctional Center, a private prison used by ICE in northwest Louisiana.(GoFundme) Daniel Fuentes Espinal, 54, a father of three from Honduras, has led the Iglesia del Nazareno Jesus Te Ama in Easton since 2015. ICE said his family left Honduras due to violence in 2001, and Fuentes Espinal got a visa to stay in the US for six months, according to a Baltimore Sun report. Also Read: Trump mocks JD Vance with unflattering meme igniting speculations of their rift; 'Fat face treatment' Daniel Fuentes Espinal lived in US for past 24 years ICE revealed in a statement, 'Fuentes entered the United States on a 6-month visa and never left in 24 years. It is a federal crime to overstay the authorized period of time granted under a visitors visa.' His daughter, Clarissa Fuentes Diaz, who was eight when she arrived in the US with him, was recently told she would become a US citizen. She told several outlets that her father, who also works construction, was followed to a Lowe's and arrested while doing errands. Fuentes Espinal was held in Salisbury and Baltimore before being moved to Winn Correctional Center, a private prison used by ICE in northwest Louisiana, according to Fuentes Diaz. The site is about an hour from ICE's detention center in Jena, where Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil was held for over three months. Maryland Matters reported that Fuentes Espinal's other two children were born in the US. Also Read: Didn't bathe for months, quenched thirst eating ice: Kargil braveheart recalls Maryland Democratic Reps write letter to Kristi Noem Maryland Democratic Reps. Sarah Elfreth and Glenn Ivey sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem asking for Fuentes Espinal's release. They pointed out that he has no criminal record in over 20 years in the US. The letter read, 'We believe that the arrest and detention of Pastor Espinal does not reflect this Administration's repeated commitment to arrest, detain, and remove violent criminals.' '… His arrest and detention by ICE does nothing to further your state goals of making America safer.' The Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations also spoke out, calling Fuentes Espinal a 'widely respected pastor' who tried to gain citizenship. Also Read: ICE hits back at Indian-origin lawyer for 'Taco Bell number' claim: 'Lying for likes' CAIR's Maryland director speaks over the matter CAIR's Maryland director, Zainab Chaudry, said in a statement, 'Detaining a widely respected pastor who has been serving the Maryland community for twenty years while attempting to rectify his legal status sends a chilling message.' 'We call on ICE to immediately release this pastor and stop wasting government resources targeting immigrants who have done nothing but contribute to our society.' As of Saturday morning, a GoFundMe for Fuentes Espinal's legal costs and family support had raised more than $33,000 of its $40,000 goal.
