Protesters Hang Sign Over I-580 Demanding Release Of Deported Livermore Man

PLEASANTON, CA — Four Tri-Valley residents gathered on the Santa Rita overpass above I-580 Friday morning with a sign reading, “Bring Home Miguel Lopez,” referring to a Livermore man deported to Mexico in June.

Lopez, 47, was deported June 7 by ICE agents just hours before a judge issued an order to stop his deportation.

According to Joanne Morrison, an organizer with Livermore Advocates for Public Education, a car from the Pleasanton Police Department and two cars from the California Highway Patrol approached the protesters. A Pleasanton officer asked them to unhook the banner from the chain link fence, while the CHP officers asked them to leave, Morrison said.

“Being a lawyer, I told him that the sidewalk on the overpass is deemed a public forum and we were allowed to use it for free speech under the First Amendment,” she said.

The officer reportedly made calls and told them they could stay if their sign didn’t cause a traffic jam on the freeway. He also suggested holding the sign up with poles because hooking it to the fence is not allowed.

Patch reached out to PPD and CHP for more information.

In California, if a banner is displayed on public property, does not obstruct pedestrian or vehicle traffic, and is not affixed to any bridge or fencing, it falls under protected First Amendment territory. If the banner is affixed to the highway, it violates prohibitions on unauthorized highway signs and unauthorized encroachments. It may also violate public safety laws related to distracting drivers.

A photo shows that the sign was affixed behind protective fencing, leaving this in a legal gray area that usually comes down to individual law enforcement discretion.

Patch reached out to PPD and CHP for more information.

Miguel Lopez, who is currently in Mexico City, lived with his family in Livermore for the past 27 years. He came to the US when he was 18 with his parents, and has been trying to attain U.S. citizenship since then, though these efforts were complicated by a DUI conviction.

On May 27, Lopez was detained at the ICE offices in San Francisco as he was attending a routine check-in, one of at least eight others. While he was being held at several detention centers throughout California, hundreds rallied in Livermore for his release, including his wife and children.

On June 7, Lopez was deported to Tijuana without his passport or other necessary documentation to prove his citizenship, according to reports. The move came just hours before U.S. District Court Trina Thompson ordered federal authorities to keep Lopez in the country, according to reports.

He is now living with his father in Mexico City and struggling to find work, according to protest organizers. He is paid only a fraction of what he earned as a welder at Wente Winery, leaving him unable to support his family.

He is awaiting a court date on Oct. 7, which could allow him to return home.

“Deportations like Miguel’s tear families apart and leave students carrying enormous emotional burdens,” said Morrison, a spokesperson for Livermore Advocates for Public Education (LAPE), a local organization supporting LVJUSD students and staff. Lopez's youngest son is a senior at Granada High School.

“Children in mixed-status families live with constant fear that their parents may not be there when they come home from school. That kind of stress makes it harder to focus, to learn, and to thrive in the classroom.”

Anyone wishing to support the Lopez family can contribute to their GoFundMe page.

RELATED:

• Livermore Man Deported Hours Before Judge Orders He Stay: Reports
• Hundreds Rally For Release Of Livermore Resident Detained By ICE: Reports