Day laborer and community leader unjustly detained

Martín Berrospe Yépez , day laborer

On March 24th, Martin Berrospe, a day laborer and leader in Rancho Cucamonga, was mistaken for someone else and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during the national “Cross-Check” operation. He was walking to the day laborer corner early one morning when ICE stopped and questioned him. Although they could not identify his immigration status, and they did not have a warrant for his arrest, he was handcuffed, put into the car, and told that he would be deported within a few hours. When the ICE agents tried to get Martin to sign papers so that he could be deported that same day, Martin stood up for himself and demanded to see a judge, boldly telling them, “I belong to an organized day laborer group and I know my rights!” Since then, he has been in the Mira Loma Detention Center in Lancaster, CA. The prosecutor representing ICE and the U.S. government acknowledged that they picked up the wrong person and the judge recognized that Martin is a “good person.” Continue reading →