On May 22, 2018, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and the law firm DLA Piper LLP (US) filed a legal complaint in federal district court to end the unlawful detention of Jose “Ivan” Noe Nuñez Martinez, requesting that the court either immediately order his release or conduct a bond hearing. Nuñez Martinez has been detained without a bond hearing since January 31, when he showed up for a mandatory interview with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Nuñez Martinez, 37, is a gay man from Michoacán, Mexico, who is married to Paul Frame, an American citizen. After the 2001 murder of a gay friend, Nuñez Martinez feared for his own life and fled to the United States. In order to guarantee their life together in the U.S., Frame submitted a Petition for Alien Relative to USCIS for Nuñez Martinez. On January 31, they both showed up for what they expected would be a routine marriage interview at a USCIS office. However, ICE agents stormed into the room mid-interview and arrested Nuñez Martinez, unlawfully detaining him without bond at the York County Prison, where he remains.
Press Releases
- ACLU of Pennsylvania Files in Federal Court for Release of Gay Man from Immigration Detention - 5/22/18
Related Links
- From the ACLU's blog Speak Freely: Why is ICE Detaining a Gay Man Fleeing Persecution?
