Seattle - A Mexican immigrant with a work permit
who was arrested by US authorities was granted bond by an
immigration judge and is expected to be released from federal
custody on Wednesday, his legal team said in a statement.
Daniel Ramirez Medina was arrested near Seattle last month
by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers who
subsequently alleged Ramirez had gang ties and should be
deported. Ramirez's lawyers have denied their client has any
gang involvement or criminal record, and called his arrest
unconstitutional.
Ramirez, among illegal immigrants known as "Dreamers," came
to the United States with his parents when he was about 10 years
old. The case is being closely watched by other Dreamers who
worry that they could be swept up in more aggressive immigration
enforcement under President Donald Trump.
The term Dreamers refers to about 750 000 immigrants brought
to the country illegally as children, who have been afforded
some protection from deportation under an Obama-era program
called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca).
An immigration judge granted Ramirez's release this week on
a $15 000 (about R195 000) bond while proceedings over his legal status in the
country continue, his lawyers said.
An ICE spokeswoman could not immediately answer questions
about whether the agency would appeal the bond order.
Under US law, deportation cases must be heard by
immigration courts, which are administered by the Department of
Justice. But Ramirez's attorneys say he is entitled to challenge
the circumstances of his arrest in federal court.
Earlier this month, a Seattle magistrate judge recommended
that his court hear Ramirez's legal claims around his arrest.
The Justice Department has challenged that recommendation.