Green Card Holder Detained by ICE After Trip to Japan

SAN DIEGO, California — Victor Avila, a 66-year-old green card holder, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at San Francisco International Airport on May 7. Avila was returning from a trip to Japan to visit his son, a U.S. Air Force servicemember stationed there. His detention has sparked concern among family and coworkers.

Avila has lived in the United States since he immigrated from Mexico in 1967. His daughter, Carina Mejia, expressed frustration over the incident, stating, “They let her through, kept him behind.” Mejia noted that her father was held for several weeks in a room at the airport before being transferred to a detention facility near Bakersfield, California.

In 2009, Avila faced legal issues when he was arrested for DUI and drug possession. He completed his sentence and has since successfully renewed his green card two times. Mejia emphasized that her father has been a model citizen since his arrest, declaring, “He’s a productive member of society. It was a nonviolent offense. He’s paid his dues. Detaining him is very unjust.”

Since his detention, a GoFundMe page has raised over $20,000 to help cover Avila’s legal fees. The campaign highlights the injustice of holding him due to a past misdemeanor. Mejia and Avila’s colleagues at Kiwan & Chambers, where he has worked for over 15 years as a legal assistant, have rallied in support of him.

Mejia remarked on her father’s mental state while in detention, saying, “Some days he’s hopeful, optimistic. Then there are days he prepares himself for the worst.” Avila’s deportation hearing is scheduled for July 15. ICE officials have not yet commented on the case.