Representatives Espaillat, Ocasio-Cortez Statement on ICE Abduction of Bronx Resident Merwil Gutiérrez
BRONX, NY – Today, Representatives Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) released a joint statement on Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) abduction of Bronx resident Merwil Gutiérrez.
On February 24, ICE detained 19-year-old Merwil Gutiérrez at the doorstep in front of his shared Bronx apartment. He had no criminal record or tattoos linking him to the Tren de Aragua gang. He was denied due process.
“We are horrified by ICE’s abduction of Merwil Gutiérrez, who was violently taken from his doorstop in the Bronx and deported to El Salvador. Like many others sent to CECOT, a mega-prison infamous for human rights abuses, Merwil was torn away from his father and our community, without due process, without any criminal charges, and without an order of deportation from a judge. His family is heartbroken and thinks he was deported by mistake. Whether Kilmar Abrego García or Merwil Gutiérrez, ICE's attacks on due process are threats to all of our fundamental rights. 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.”
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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fifth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 119th Congress. He is Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.
Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov