As the nation waits on President Barack Obama to unveil his “Ten Point Plan” for overhauling the U.S. Immigration policy via executive action, which may suspend deportations for millions, one family in Columbus may be broken apart soon.

  When Ángel Bustos arrived at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Columbus on October 27, he never imagined that he might never see his wife April and 7-year-old son Christian again. Ángel was accustomed to weekly meetings with ICE while his petition to remain in the U.S. was being processed. David Deweese, supervising ICE officer for the Columbus field office, denied Ángel’s petition.

  Ángel was arrested and has been in detention since. Today, Ángel is fighting to stay with family and asking Deweese to exercise prosecutorial discretion to make this happen.

  The Department of Homeland Security's frequent deportation of low-level offenders, undocumented minors and breadwinners for U.S. citizens has rallied immigrant rights activists and organizers asking to “Stop The Deportations.”

  This is "not an isolated incident," stated Angel's immigration attorney, Julie Nemecek. "The local office can release him now under existing policy. Angel is not a priority for deportation. They are supposed to consider serious hardships to the family."

  Ángel came to the U.S. in 2004 to earn money to support his parents and siblings. He's been married to a U.S. citizen for years, holds a job, and, according to Nemecek, "has no criminal record" and poses no threat to public or national security. "They could allow him to stay and possibly obtain a work authorization," she said.

   April became a single mother and had to move back in with her mother in order to share the responsibilities of caring for Christian while also working a full-time job. “It’s important for the Department of Homeland Security to consider my unique and severe hardships. I can’t bear to think how my world would be turned upside down if I lost him to deportation. Our son Christian and I both need him here.” she said.

  “My only thought is to be with my son, I want to go back to playing fútbol with Christian in the park near our apartment, and make sure that Christian takes his medicine," stated Angel from the Morrow County Correctional Facility. Time with his father is important for Christian, whose ADHD requires the patience that Ángel is eager to provide.    

  The Central Ohio Worker Center has been assisting and supporting the family and working to keep them together. “The President needs to take action immediately and stop separating families across this country. In Columbus, Ohio, this is real. I’m tired of families being broken apart,” said Ruben Castilla Herrera, Immigrant Rights Organizer and spokesperson for the Central Ohio Worker Center.

  The Center held a rally Friday, November 14 at the ICE office in downtown Columbus, where April and Christian delivered over 600 signatures to Deweese asking him to consider releasing Angel from detention and use his discretion to offer deferred action in his deportation.

  "The ICE aren't used to people confronting them, speaking for themselves," Herrera noted, "This rally has disturbed their system."

  Austen Kocher of the Worker Center told The Free Press that Angel's chances of release are pretty good, if the public pressure continues. "We the people does not mean "we the documented," he said.

  To help, contact the Central Ohio Worker Center at 614-589-0732, through their website centralohioworkercenter.org and their Facebook page. Also, supporters can contact David Deweese of ICE at 614-469-2956 to ask him to offer deferred action in Angel's case.