The family of Ecuadorian immigrant Edisson Barros joined elected officials and the Ecuadorian community on Friday to call on Judge Mirlande Tadal to halt Mr. Barros’ imminent deportation.

CITY HALL, NY — Council Member Francisco Moya stood alongside Edisson Barros’ daughters, niece and sister Friday morning to call on immigration judge Mirlande Tadal to halt the deportation of Mr. Barros, which was scheduled for Friday.

Mr. Barros, an Ecuadorian immigrant, taxi driver and longtime Queens resident, was walking his dog in Maspeth on May 5, 2018, when it ran out into the street. To stop an oncoming driver from running the dog over, Edisson did what he had to do: he threw his keys at the car to alert the driver. That driver then called the police, which triggered a domino effect that brought the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to Mr. Barros. It’s striking that Mr. Barros was placed on a collision course with I.C.E. all because of his attempt to save his dog from being struck by a car.

On Friday morning, the day Mr. Barros was set to be deported, his family joined Council Members Francisco Moya and Carlos Menchaca, Vice Consul General of the Ecuadorian Consulate in New York Maria Acosta, members of the Young Progressives of America, New York Public Interest Research Group and the Independent Drivers Guild, and immigration activist Ronald Bautista, to issue a final plea to Judge Tadal to stay the deportation.

“Deporting Edisson Barros will not Make America Great Again. It will succeed only in decimating and devastating a family,” Council Member Moya said. “There is no honor in visiting this hell on Edisson and his family, and doing so is not a defense of America or liberty. In the interest of justice, we are calling on Judge Mirlande Tadal to stay his deportation, at least until she can review his case and make an informed decision.

Queens Assemblywoman Ari Espinal also demanded justice for Mr. Barros and the scores of immigrant families the Trump administration has sicced I.C.E. on. “I am horrified and angered by the actions taken by the federal government to try to take Edisson Barros away from his family and his home for the last 25 years,” Assemblywoman Espinal said. “I join Councilmember Francisco Moya in asking Judge Mirlande Tadal to stay Edisson’s deportation. The federal government must stop tearing families apart.”

Judge Tadal has already expressed an interest in reviewing Mr. Barros’ 2003 case, from which this deportation ruling originates. We hope that is true and urge her to stay the deportation at least she can make an informed decision.

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