Father facing deportation fights to stay in St. Paul with son who will need bone marrow transplant
Armando Miranda Enriquez is fighting to remain in the country as his son faces a bone marrow transplant procedure. (Supplied)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Local leaders have come to the support of a man facing deportation in St. Paul while his son battles a serious disorder.
The father, Armando Miranda Enriquez, has earned the support from prominent lawmakers including Mayor Melvin Carter and Governor Tim Walz.
ICE detained Enriquez outside of his home while he was heading to work. He’s from Honduras and was in the country illegally and has been deported twice before.
Now, as he faces deportation for the third time, his lawyer and lawmakers have stepped in to fight on his behalf. His lawyer, Danielle Robinson Briand, has asked for a humanitarian stay so he can temporarily return to the U.S.
Enriquez's six-year-old son Jairo has a rare genetic condition that will eventually require a bone marrow transplant, and Enriquez wants to be here for him.
"Mayor Carter's office identified this as a compelling case and then helped us reach out to other elected officials in Minnesota," explained Briand. "It feels like they closed ranks around Jairo, and that is uplifting for a parent."
Not only did Mayor Carter reach out to ICE officials, so did other elected officials including Gov. Tim Walz, Congresswoman Betty McCollum, and Senator Amy Klobuchar. They sent a letter to the ICE office in Minnesota, urging the agency to review the stay of removal for Enriquez. They said that he has no criminal history and never been arrested.
Senator Klobuchar also released a statement, saying in part:
"Armando Enriquez is needed at home in St. Paul with his family to care for his sick son Jairo - allowing Armando to remain in the U.S. to work would ensure that he is able to pay for Jairo's upcoming surgery, bone marrow transplant, and any other treatments deemed necessary by his rare genetic disorder."
ICE officials with knowledge of the situation tell us they received updated medical records Thursday night for the son and have halted the removal proceedings, allowing Enriquez to return back to Minnesota from a holding facility in Louisiana. We’re told the paperwork will need to be reviewed, and then a decision would be made. Briand says she remains optimistic.