Derby’s Luis Barrios was granted a 30-day stay of a federal deportation order that was scheduled to see him flown to his native Guatemala Thursday.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal called Barrios to tell him about the stay moments before a press conference was scheduled to begin outside Barrios’ Derby house about 5 p.m.
Tears streamed down Barrios’ face as he thanked God and the many people who supported his appeal.
“We prayed a lot,” he said after the press conference.
Click the play button on the video below to see Barrios’ lawyer, Erin O’Neill-Baker, announce the stay, along with remarks from Barrios, Natalie Alexander, of Unidad Latina en Accion, and Barrios’ 16-year-old son, Lester.
Barrios’ attorney has argued that he has attempted to become a legal U.S. citizen by seeking asylum due to the fact he fears he will be killed when he returns to Guatemala, the fate that has been met by several of his family members.
That asylum quest has not been successful.
Furthermore, advocates say Barrios’ quest for citizenship is tough because the system itself is broken.
