IE father, landscaper speaks out after being granted bond following a month in immigration detention
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (KABC) -- It's been nearly two months since immigration raids intensified in Southern California. More than 36,000 people were taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in June, the month those actions began. A small fraction of those arrested - including some Southern California residents - have been granted bond in immigration court.
Jose Luis Zavala Ramires sat beside his attorney in Rancho Cucamonga this week. But for more than a month, he was arrested in immigration custody in Los Angeles and later Texas. It all started on June 18 on what appeared to be an ordinary day at work for Zavala, a landscaper.
"They showed us the phone. Do you know this person?" Zavala said the men who approached him on his lunch break. What Zavala described is a common tactic in which those who appear to be federal authorities, often masked, show people a photo of someone they say they're looking for. They engage them in conversation and ask questions that could lead to their arrest.
Zavala's attorney believes he was racially profiled in so-called "roving patrols," which a federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to stop.
Like many others, Zavala was held in downtown Los Angeles in conditions described by many - including those in detention, their loved ones, and attorneys - as unsanitary and inhumane.
"I lost 20 pounds there," said Zavala. He said that people were hungry, they would sometimes get one burrito in the middle of the night, and drank water from a sink, adding some people cannot handle the suffering and prefer to sign voluntary departures.
When explaining what, or rather who, stopped him from doing so, Zavala speaks of his family. "My children, my wife," he said. His eldest daughter is entering her senior year of college. "I can't fail her," he said.
His attorney described a slow process in which eventually Zavala was granted bond. "You look in every direction. It's very beautiful," said Zavala of his release, adding that the experience was also traumatic.
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His eldest daughter, Denise, flew to Texas and the two rode a bus back to California. Here, he was welcomed with opens arms and tears. "Thank you so much to everyone who supported me," said Zavala, choking up.
Inside his attorney's office, joined by his wife Maria, they smile and toast in front of U.S. flag. Zavala reiterated he wants to help his family and for them to make something of themselves in this country.
Zavala is still fighting his case. His attorney said Zavala is eligible for cancellation of removal and eventually lawful permanent resident status. His family set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for the legal fees ahead of them.
