Update: This story was updated on April 23 to include a statement from Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
When Documented first broke the story early last week of 19-year-old Venezuelan asylum seeker Merwil Gutiérrez detainment and alleged deportation by ICE, local elected officials across the city, such as Attorney General Letitia James, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, expressed a profusion of outrage.
Merwil Gutiérrez was allegedly detained 8 weeks ago by immigration officials and deported from his home in the Bronx to the mega prison in El Salvador. His father, Wilmer Gutiérrez, said he had been wrongfully detained, with his cousin Luis Acosta saying ICE agents confused him for another person. Since Merwil’s detainment, his father says he has been unable to contact him.
“Our offices have been in touch with the family to support and we will not rest until Merwil is back where he belongs: at home in the Bronx,” Bronx Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Adriano Espaillat said in a joint statement.
Also Read: ‘They Took Him Anyway’: Cousin Who Witnessed Arrest of Merwil Gutiérrez Speaks Out
In a statement shared with Documented, Attorney General Letitia James said: “This administration’s chaos is tearing families apart, including this 19-year-old from the Bronx who was sent to prison in El Salvador and taken away from his father.” She added, “All those sent to this dangerous prison without due process must be released. Now.”
Bronx State Senator Gustavo Rivera also condemned the deportation of Gutiérrez.
“The blatant racial profiling, the disrespect for due process, and the daylight kidnapping of Merwil by ICE is appalling and intolerable and should be a cause for concern for all Americans,” he said in a statement posted on X.
Also Read: ICE Took His Son From Their Bronx Home. Now His 19-Year-Old Is In Bukele’s Mega-prison In El Salvador
When Documented asked Mayor Eric Adams’ office if they would condemn the deportation of Merwil and plan to take any action, City Hall did not respond directly to the question, instead stating that they don’t cooperate with ICE on deportations.
“Mayor Adams has been clear that all New Yorkers, regardless of their documentation status, should have their civil liberties protected and everyone has a right to due process,” said Kayla Mamelak Altus, press secretary for the mayor. “While we do not cooperate with the federal government on civil deportation matters, and therefore have no additional information on Merwil Gutierrez’s case, we are watching closely as this process plays out.”
市长参选人访华社 游民所问题成焦点
Commissioner Manuel Castro, of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), declined to comment. “MOIA is a mayoral office, so we defer to City Hall,” said Shaina Coronel, director of communications for MOIA.
Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of New York Immigration Coalition, called on all elected officials to speak out against Gutiérrez’s deportation.
“Merwil Gutiérrez must be immediately released and returned to New York,” he said. “At the federal, state, and local level, all New York elected officials must stop turning a blind eye to this atrocity. They must fight back and start working tirelessly for the return of Gutiérrez and everyone who has been abducted by Trump.”
The day after Documented broke the story about Gutiérrez, Mayor Adams announced that he would be allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) back on Rikers Island, while simultaneously publicly celebrating the contributions of immigrants to the city during the 21st annual New York City Immigrant Heritage Week.
