Deportation Delayed For New York City Pizza Delivery Man

BROOKLYN, NY — A federal judge in New York City has temporarily halted the deportation of a delivery driver who was detained after trying to bring a pizza to a U.S. Army base in Brooklyn.

Pablo Villavicencio Calderon, 35, was arrested June 1 when he tried to deliver a pizza from a brick-oven Queens restaurant where he worked to the Fort Hamilton military base on General Lee Avenue in Bay Ridge. A military guard questioned the husband and father of two daughters about his immigration status — then called federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement — when Villavicencio used a municipal ID card to enter the base.

Immigration agents took Villavicencio, an Ecuadorian citizen, to a detention center in New Jersey to await deportation, Patch previously reported.

But on Saturday evening, Judge Alison Nathan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ordered the government to demonstrate why a temporary preliminary injunction shouldn't be granted in the case, Villavicencio's attorneys said on Twitter. His deportation will be delayed until at least a July 20 hearing.

#BREAKING: @LegalAidNYC wins emergency petition filed today in the #SDNY staying #ICE from deporting #PabloVillavicencio. Cc: @Gregoire1125 @MaketheRoadNY pic.twitter.com/GuLT7Viahn
— The Legal Aid Society (@LegalAidNYC) June 9, 2018

Gregory Copeland, of the Legal Aid Society's immigration law group, called the emergency stay a "victory."

"Although we are disappointed that Pablo will remain detained, today's stay is a victory for him and his family, and also for due process and the fair administration of justice,"tweeted Copeland.

A GoFundMe campaign established for Villavincencio's family has raised more than $30,000.

Sandra Chica, Villavicencio's wife, told reporters last week she is an American citizen, as are their two kids. Her husband applied for a green card in February, she said.

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Photo credit: GoFundMe.com