Petition to Demand Release of Father and Spouse of U.S. Citizens

October 17, 2011

From Change.org:

1,000 DEMAND U.S. CITIZEN’S HUSBAND BE RELEASED FROM DETENTION
Fast-growing campaign on Change.org calls on Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release husband of U.S. citizen from detention and stop his deportation.

HOUSTON, TEXAS – More than 1,000 people from across the country have joined a popular campaign on Change.org calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release Jose Escobar from detention and stop his deportation.

Rose Marie Ascencio-Escobar, the U.S. citizen wife of Jose and mother of their 1-year-old child, started the campaign on Change.org after Jose was placed in detention in June.

“Since Jose has been detained we have been on an emotional roller coaster. Some days look promising and full of hope. Some days, I feel frustrated, confused, and angry,” said Rose Marie. “I break down quite often, both at work and at home. I try to remain strong in front of my son who constantly looks out the window waiting for his dad.”

Jose arrived in the country when he was 15 years old and acquired Temporary Protected Status because of natural disasters and unrest plaguing his home country of El Salvador. While attempting to renew this status, Jose followed faulty legal advice regarding attendance at a hearing and was placed in removal proceedings.

News of the online petition campaign’s success is likely to increase pressure on Immigration and Customers Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security, which recently released a memo stating that immigrants brought to the country as children who have no criminal records and have U.S. citizen family members are not priorities for deportation. Within hours of the campaign’s launch, Rose Marie Ascencio-Escobar had recruited hundreds of supporters on Change.org, the world’s fastest growing platform for social change.

“What Rose Marie Ascencio-Escobar has accomplished in just a few days is remarkable,” said Change.org Organizer Gabriela Garcia. “With no budget and armed with only a laptop, the wife of Jose Escobar has managed to recruit more than 1,000 supporters from all across the country in support of her husband. Change.org is about empowering anyone, anywhere to demand action on the issues that matter to them, and it has been incredible to watch Rose Marie’s campaign take off.”

Currently, a hearing date has not been set for Jose Escobar. He has been held for more than four months.