Supporters of Samuel Oliver-Bruno, who took sanctuary from immigration enforcement at a Durham church, say the twenty-year U.S. resident is facing imminent deportation after being detained during an immigration appointment last week and are asking federal officials to release him.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he had been held at the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. However, his family members say he was moved this morning and officials refused to tell there where.
Asked for Oliver-Bruno’s current location and whether he had been removed from the country, ICE spokesperson Bryan Cox told the INDY via email this afternoon that Oliver-Bruno was still in ICE custody, but said he “can’t discuss movements of persons until they’re completed.”
Amid protests that led to the arrest of two dozen people, Oliver-Bruno was taken into custody last Friday during a biometrics appointment with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services as part of his claim for a deferral from deportation. North Carolina Congressmen David Price and G.K. Butterfield announced earlier this week that that Oliver-Bruno’s deferral claim had been denied.
Oliver-Bruno’s family and supporters gathered for a press conference at Durham City Hall. Follow along with live updates from the Indy:
