A Guatemalan man who invited ICE to a community meeting is now facing deportation
Roland Gramajo is a revered member in Houston and has received several commendations from the mayor
Ronald Gamajo / Facebook
Samira Sadeque 2019-09-10 12:02 pm | Last updated 2019-09-10 12:10 pm
A Guatemalan father of five and revered member of his community has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within weeks after he invited ICE members, among others, to a community meeting organized to address peoples rising concerns about immigration, according to reports.
Roland Gramajo, 40, organized a community meeting in southwest Houston, Texas, in August, as President Donald Trumps orders for ICE raids riled up communities across the country, the Houston Chronicle reported.
On Thursday, he was arrested near his home and is facing deportation, the New York Times reported. Its unclear if ICE members accepted the invitation and officially attended the community meeting. Some attendees reported that theyd seen some men, seemingly out of place, take photos of Gramajo, which some now believe were ICE agents secretly attending the meeting, the Times reported.
Gramajo first came to the U.S. in 1994 and outstayed his tourist visa. In 1998, he pled guilty to burglary charges. His daughter says it was a practical joke with a friend, who eventually wanted to drop the charges, that spun out of control. The case went ahead anyway, and he was deported in 2004.
More:
https://www.dailydot.com/irl/ice-arrests-guatemalan-organizer-roland-gamajo/