A young DREAMer in Washington state was freed on bail Wednesday after being detained by federal immigration authorities for more than six weeks.
Daniel Ramirez Medina released from Northwest Detention Center. #Q13FOX
Daniel Ramirez Medina has been in a detention center since he was picked up in Seattle on Feb. 10, after US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents came to arrest his father.
“I’m so happy to be reunited with my family today and can’t wait to see my son. This has been a long and hard 46 days, but I’m so thankful for the support that I’ve gotten from everyone who helped me and for the opportunity to live in such an amazing country," Ramirez said in a statement. "I know that this isn’t over, but I’m hopeful for the future, for me and for the hundreds of thousands of other Dreamers who love this country like I do.”
'Dreamer' Daniel Ramirez Medina says it feels good to be out.
On Tuesday, Immigration Judge John Odell ordered the 24-year-old to be released on a $15,000 bond while his case proceeds, his lawyers said.
"The judge affirmed that Daniel does not pose any risk to public safety," Luis Cortes, managing attorney at Barrera Legal Group and a member of Ramirez’s legal team, said in a statement. "We are thrilled he will soon be home with his family."
Ramirez was approved multiple times for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) program and was a valid DACA holder at the time he was detained.
#breaking #exclusive video of #DanielRamirezMedina walking out of Federal Detention in #tacoma @KIRO7Seattle @ 5/6… https://t.co/mrluyOjSKR
Ramirez had filed a federal habeas corpus action, seeking to have the federal government justify his detention and asking a court to order his release. His legal team — which includes prominent legal scholars, law firm attorneys, and nonprofit advocates — had asked the federal court to order Ramirez to be released while his case is pending. That judge had declined to do so, stating that Ramirez's "avenue for seeking such release should occur in the context of his removal proceedings, which by his own admission, are not being challenged here."