By Sam Dupree
On April 19, Ann Arbor resident Jose Luis Sanchez-Ronquillo was apprehended by immigration officers while attending one of his required immigration meetings. Sanchez-Ronquillo, who entered the U.S. illegally, had been living here for almost 20 years, with his wife and two sons who attend Ann Arbor Public Schools. Sanchez-Ronquillo has no criminal record, yet had been held in a Louisiana prison for over a month since being picked up by I.C.E. The day after a visit to Pioneer by his supporters, Sanchez-Ronquillo’s pending deportation was delayed indefinitely by a U.S. District Court judge in Detroit.
On Monday, May 15, Sanchez-Ronquillo’s wife, along with his lead attorney, visited Pioneer’s Little Theatre to encourage students to rally at a Detroit court hearing for his release. Shanta Driver, Sanchez-Ronquillo’s lead attorney, told students about his life in the United States. “Jose has been in the U.S. almost 20 years,” said Driver. “He’s worked, paid taxes, and never committed a crime.”
Driver said that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (I.C.E) made a deal with Sanchez-Ronquillo. They told him that if he attended his monthly check-ins, and didn’t get into legal trouble, he could eventually earn legal residence. Trump Administration policies, however, forced I.C.E to break that deal, Driver said. When Sanchez-Ronquillo went to one of his scheduled check-in meetings he was arrested.
“This is an ideological policy of ethnic cleansing.” said Driver. “Trump has proved he is lawless.”
Sanchez-Ronquillo’s wife also addressed the students. Through a translator, she revealed that both of her children, one a freshman at Pioneer, one a student at Bach Elementary, have had an extremely traumatic time during this experience. “Jose’s only crime ever was being undocumented,” said his wife.
Pioneer senior Bairton Brown feels particularly strongly about this issue because of Sanchez-Ronquillo’s young elementary school child. “I think it’s vindictive to deport these people who haven’t committed a crime,” he said, “whose families help enrich our culture.”
Pioneer junior Jessie Gott also attended the event. “You see this stuff on the news and you hear about it secondhand,” said Gott, “but it’s much more personal when you hear it in person from people who are currently in this fight.”
Permission slips for students to ride a bus to Detroit for a rally at the Sanchez-Ronquillo deportation hearing were passed out.
Driver called for President Trump’s resignation. “He needs to go, he needs to resign, he needs to be forced out of office,” she said.
Before the presenters headed onto their next school, they left students with a warning: advise any illegal immigrants that if they get a call to go check in at I.C.E, they shouldn’t go.
On Monday, May 15, Sanchez-Ronquillo’s wife, along with his lead attorney, visited Pioneer’s Little Theatre to encourage students to rally at a Detroit court hearing for his release. Shanta Driver, Sanchez-Ronquillo’s lead attorney, told students about his life in the United States. “Jose has been in the U.S. almost 20 years,” said Driver. “He’s worked, paid taxes, and never committed a crime.”
Driver said that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (I.C.E) made a deal with Sanchez-Ronquillo. They told him that if he attended his monthly check-ins, and didn’t get into legal trouble, he could eventually earn legal residence. Trump Administration policies, however, forced I.C.E to break that deal, Driver said. When Sanchez-Ronquillo went to one of his scheduled check-in meetings he was arrested.
“This is an ideological policy of ethnic cleansing.” said Driver. “Trump has proved he is lawless.”
Sanchez-Ronquillo’s wife also addressed the students. Through a translator, she revealed that both of her children, one a freshman at Pioneer, one a student at Bach Elementary, have had an extremely traumatic time during this experience. “Jose’s only crime ever was being undocumented,” said his wife.
Pioneer senior Bairton Brown feels particularly strongly about this issue because of Sanchez-Ronquillo’s young elementary school child. “I think it’s vindictive to deport these people who haven’t committed a crime,” he said, “whose families help enrich our culture.”
Pioneer junior Jessie Gott also attended the event. “You see this stuff on the news and you hear about it secondhand,” said Gott, “but it’s much more personal when you hear it in person from people who are currently in this fight.”
Permission slips for students to ride a bus to Detroit for a rally at the Sanchez-Ronquillo deportation hearing were passed out.
Driver called for President Trump’s resignation. “He needs to go, he needs to resign, he needs to be forced out of office,” she said.
Before the presenters headed onto their next school, they left students with a warning: advise any illegal immigrants that if they get a call to go check in at I.C.E, they shouldn’t go.