Update: The Leon County Sheriff's Office provided the following statement Friday.
Mr. Lopez-Gomez was arrested by the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), not the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. Following his arrest, he was booked into the Leon County Detention Facility, which is the designated jail for this jurisdiction. ICE placed a detainer on Mr. Gomez.
The Sheriff’s Office does not determine citizenship status or initiate immigration holds; we process detainer requests submitted by federal authorities. The Leon County Sheriff’s Office complies with ICE detainer requests as part of our intake procedures. This practice has been in place for several years and is consistent with standard procedures followed by many detention facilities across the country.
- 20-year-old Juan Gomez from Cairo, was taken into custody and held by ICE on Wednesday, April 16th
- Tallahassee Immigrant Rights Alliance held a rally Thursday after Gomez's family took to social media
- Watch the video to hear from a member of the organization on what this rally stands for
BROADCAST SCRIPT:
A Cairo man detained by the Leon County sheriff’s office has been released after a Tallahassee civil rights group held a protest Thursday.
A spokesperson with the Leon County Sheriff's office confirmed the release of 20-year-old Juan Gomez.
The Tallahassee Immigrant Rights Alliance stepped in after the family of Gomez took to social media, sharing a perplexing story.
Gomez was stopped by police while riding to work with a group of his peers Wednesday.
Gomez’s family says this is when he was detained and allegedly placed on immigration hold.
Gomez's mother provided a birth certificate confirming that he is a United States citizen born in Georgia, but he initially remained detained by police.
SOT: Aedan Bennett, member of Tallahassee Immigration Rights Alliance
“Just to see so many people come out and show such a strong force in favor of Juan Carlos really just makes me optimistic about the people's struggle going forward.”
Gomez's mother says she was called by an I.C.E. agent letting her know that her son would be released Thursday evening.
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