Practically 4 months after being detained by ICE whereas working his common route, a Culver Metropolis palatero has returned safely house to his household — and has a inexperienced card on the best way.
In June, Ambrocio “Enrique” Lozano was taken into custody by masked federal brokers whereas promoting paletas, or frozen fruit treats, exterior of a church. A hanging photograph of his deserted ice cream cart went viral on social media, catalyzing a group effort to carry him house.
Lozano, who lives in South L.A. and has manned a palatero cart within the Culver Metropolis space for greater than 20 years, was one in all 1000’s of undocumented immigrants detained this summer time in L.A. as a part of an ongoing mass deportation effort by the Trump administration. The ICE raids have rattled Southern California and fueled widespread protest towards the federal authorities’s immigration insurance policies.
After 114 days in detention, Lozano on Wednesday was granted a inexperienced card by way of a 245(i) petition, which depends on a little-known provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) that enables sure people who’re in any other case ineligible to use for lawful everlasting residence from throughout the U.S.
Two days later, Lozano reunited together with his household at his sister’s house in South Gate, his niece Kimberly Noriega instructed The Instances on Saturday.
Strolling within the door, Lozano was greeted by “Welcome house!” balloons and a tres leches cake for the birthday he’d spent in detention. Noriega had cooked him a feast of carne asada, costillas and “a complete huge outdated pack of tortillas” — the very first thing he talked about to her on FaceTime after he was launched.
“Though it’s onerous, we by no means misplaced religion, and we all the time trusted God,” Noriega mentioned. “I really feel like it is a small victory in one thing that’s manner greater.”
Lozano was promoting his paletas in entrance of Iglesia Bautista Libre Resurrección in Culver Metropolis on the afternoon of June 23 when he was taken by ICE brokers and pushed off in an unmarked car to an undisclosed location.
“He instructed them, ‘Why are you guys selecting on me? I’m simply doing my job,’” Noriega mentioned. Lozano had no prison document, and his clients beloved him. However the brokers didn’t relent.
Lozano was permitted to shortly name his spouse and clarify the state of affairs, however after 40 seconds or so on the telephone, his name dropped, Noriega mentioned. His household couldn’t get hold of extra details about his whereabouts for days.
Noriega later discovered that her uncle had tried to textual content her aunt when he obtained to the detention heart, however there was no reception. Then ICE brokers took his telephone.
With the assistance of the Neighborhood Self-Protection Coalition and donations from the group, Noriega and her household had been capable of finding authorized illustration for Lozano. Later, greater than 150 individuals, a lot of whom had bought paletas from Lozano over time, wrote letters of help to assist him in courtroom.
Noriega mentioned that Lozano’s legal professional, Ebony Espinoza, was all the time satisfied Lozano would get his inexperienced card. However Noriega may by no means make certain, and that uncertainty haunted her.
“It was a lot stress,” Noriega mentioned. “My aunt was crying and my mother was simply dropping her cahoots attempting to do every thing.”
Issues grew worse when Lozano’s spouse Anita struggled to reply questions throughout a courtroom listening to and feared she’d ruined her husband’s probabilities at launch.
Fortunately for Lozano’s household, the choose was affected person with them, even permitting them a two-hour break to retrieve images proving his marriage to Anita.
“My aunt actually took the photographs off of her wall as a result of we couldn’t discover her wedding ceremony album,” Noriega mentioned. “She took the most important footage, you understand, like these 20 by 20 enormous ones, and we simply carried these.”
Court docket resumed for a pair minutes, lengthy sufficient for the opposing council to withdraw its attraction, after which the choose instructed Lozano, “Welcome to the USA.”
Lozano clasped his arms in entrance of his face, as if praying, in gratitude.
“God gave him the energy to maintain going each single day,” Noriega mentioned.
Following his launch, Lozano was shocked to learn how a lot traction his story has gotten, Noriega mentioned. She instructed her uncle he now has a strong message to share with different detainees.
“You possibly can inform them to remain sturdy,” she instructed him. “If it occurred for you, it may possibly occur for others.”
