Activists Rally After ICE Detains Juan Vivares

DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — A coalition of local activists and city officials protested in lower Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon, just hours after federal officials detained a Bronx man following his check-in with immigration authorities, according to the man's wife.

Juan Vivares, an immigrant who fled Columbia in 2011, was detained Tuesday morning after a meeting at Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Manhattan offices, according to a local union protesting his detention. Vivares's wife, Yahaira Burgos, is a member of the 32BJ SEIU union, which released a statement regarding the family's situation on Tuesday.

Burgos and her lawyer said that Vivares has been denied an asylum claim, and they are asking that he be allowed to stay in the U.S. while they file a stay against his deportation, according to the statement.

A coalition of local groups as well as multiple city officials gathered on Tuesday at 2 p.m. outside the Jacob Javits Federal Building to call for Vivares' release. New York City public advocate Tish James and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito both attended the rally, as well as other city council members.

Vivares, an electrician, and Burgos, a doorwoman on the Upper East Side, have a young son. Vivares fled political violence in Columbia in 2011 and he fears for his safety if he's forced to return, the union said.

An ICE spokeswoman confirmed Vivares' detention in an email.

"Juan Vivares-Mazo has exhausted all administrative options and has received a final order of removal from an immigration judge," Rachael Yong Yow said in the emailed statement. "He is currently in ICE custody pending removal from the United States."

This post has been updated with information from ICE.

Lead image via Patch.