Carlos knew it was dangerous for him to go to the courthouse on July 26.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have dramatically stepped up their hunt for undocumented people, friends from his church-based social justice group warned him, even those who’ve lived in the U.S. for decades like he has.
But it was important to him to do the right thing. His dedication to inpatient and outpatient rehab, and the ample evidence of his beloved status in his community, had helped his lawyer convince a Minnesota judge that Carlos should be given probation rather than a jail term. Besides, Carlos figured ICE knew he was scheduled for a check-in with immigration officials just a couple weeks later, and he’d shown up consistently to those meetings for years.
