TULSA, Okla. — Due to a major case backlog, Salvador Franco-Gomez, an Oklahoma City resident, had been waiting for a court hearing on his immigration status for 13 years. He has lived in the United States since he was 19 and has no criminal history.
Earlier this month, Immigration and Customs Enforcement asked him to come by their office. He was put in the Tulsa County jail for potential deportation.
“He is doing what he is supposed to do, trying to get his status adjusted and he’s doing it the right way, and they basically kidnapped him off the street and threw him in jail,” said Robert Don Gifford, Franco-Gomez’s attorney.
Gifford filed an emergency petition asking Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado, and others to give legal reasons why he’s in jail.
Sheriff Regalado responded, saying they have no control over who ICE detains. He said they house detainees for a period of time.
“We have no dog in this fight,” said Regalado. “In regards to his being held, that is up to the federal government, not us.”
Regalado wants his name removed from the lawsuit. He says not only does he lack control over ICE decisions, but he also feels the situation is damaging his efforts to instill trust with the immigrant community.
“If we have a community afraid to call us, what we have seen, historically, is crime starts to creep up,” he said. “Especially domestic violence, violent crimes, things of that nature.”
2 News originally reported that Franco-Gomez has been moved to a facility in Texas, per ICE officials. However, Regalado says that information was incorrect—that Franco-Gomez is still at the Tulsa County jail, until this issue is resolved in court.
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