Livermore community demands father be returned from ICE detainment
LIVERMORE At least residents and demonstrators Wednesday night gathered at a rally to demand the release of a Livermore father who was detained by immigration bureaucrats last week The family of Miguel Angel Lopez gathered with fellow residents at the downtown Livermorium Plaza waving signs with messages such as Free Miguel and Bring Miguel Home Immigration agents detained the man last Tuesday when he was reporting in San Francisco his family reported which is a routine checkup Lopez did as part of his process toward citizenship A Livermore local Lopez has lived in California for years after emigrating from Mexico His wife Rosa Lopez declared he is at this time held in a detention facility in MacFarland in Southern California His family announced he worked as a welder and machinist at Wente Winery in Livermore where he d been employed for nine years I have no idea what s going to happen Rosa Lopez commented in an interview Tuesday I m hoping he gets disclosed and he gets published here She revealed the last scarce words she shared with Miguel Lopez last week before immigration representatives took him into custody were Miguel asking her on the phone to call my lawyer I m being detained she explained She reported his lawyer couldn t attend the checkup that day so she and Miguel had gone alone Later he called her again and stated he was being transferred somewhere several hours away from San Francisco No one in the Lopez family was stated what he was being detained for or for how long he would be held Rosa mentioned Even Miguel doesn t know why he got detained she commented Now she commented she wants her husband to be returned home At a rally Wednesday evening his daughter Stephanie Lopez choked back tears while speaking to a crowd of around people in downtown Livermore She spoke of his character describing him as a helpful man well-respected in the society My dad goes out of his way to help everyone and is a friend to all she commented In an interview with this news organization she called their family s situation shocking This is something we would have never expected Stephanie stated The family s youngest son Julian Lopez goes to the town s Granada High School where he will soon be a senior and play football as a defensive back He revealed his father encouraged him this year to pick up the sport for the first time never missing a contest I thought it wasn t real until my mom started crying and advised me Julian mentioned I haven t felt the same since Supervisor David Haubert recounted this news organization Wednesday that his office connected the family to legal services though they already had legal representation We are making sure that his family has tools from the county such as food medicinal and looking to see if they need rental assistance Haubert communicated this news organization When you lose a family member s income it affects the entire family Droves of other area members chanted for Miguel s release Wednesday evening including dozens of Granada students and several teachers Though Miguel s wife has visited him in MacFarland they continue to have limited contact and are unsure what his future will bring Hopefully our voice is heard Rosa mentioned He s not a bad person He should get an opportunity to stay here with his family
