HOUSTON — A grandfather and tire shop owner who got swept up during immigration operation in the Colony Ridge subdivision last month is now back at home with his family after being able to post bond.
Erik Payan got home Friday night and we were there in north Harris County for the reunion.
Payan and his wife, Alejandrina, have been here in the US for 21 years, and now that he’s been released, his attorney says she is fighting to secure his legal status.
RELATED: Houston-area ICE operation leaves family devastated
Payan was being held at an immigration detention facility. He was among more than 100 others arrested on February 24 during an ICE operation in Colony Ridge.
ICE agents showed up to Payan’s tire shop and took him to a detention facility in Montgomery County where he had been until Friday.
RELATED: 118 arrests made during Colony Ridge operation, ICE says
Payan is the sole breadwinner of his family. He owns a tire shop and has no criminal record. He tells me he felt helpless.
Silvia Mintz, an immigration attorney, took on his case for free after learning what happened.
“Mr. Payan is not a criminal,” she said. “And most of the people who were detained in Colony Ridge don’t have any criminal record.”
His release comes after she put a bond package together and a judge granted him a $5,000 bond, which he had to pay in full. The community pitched in.
Mintz said the immigration case continues and that he has avenues to fix his legal status.
Now, back with his family, he gets to celebrate his daughter’s birthday with those he loves the most, a memory they’ll hold on to forever.
Mintz tells us she is working on a cancellation of removal to stop his deportation. Because of his ties to the community, lack of a criminal record, and good moral character, he will likely be able to stay and fix his legal status.