Release Denied For Journalist Seeking Asylum

Release Denied For Journalist Seeking Asylum

Story Created: Aug 11, 2008 at 4:49 PM MDT
Story Updated: Aug 11, 2008 at 6:36 PM MDT


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Monday, August 11, 2008- A newspaper reporter from Ascension, Mexico who came to the United States seeking asylum has been denied release from the El Paso ICE Detention Center while awaiting his asylum hearing.

Emilio Gutierrez Soto, along with his 15 year-old son arrived in Columbus, New Mexico around mid-June of this year. Gutierrez-Soto presented his documents and explained that he was feeling Mexico because of persecution from the Mexican Army.

Now, Gutierrez-Soto and his son have been denied release while awaiting their asylum hearing. In a document to Soto's attorney, ICE explains four reasons why.

According to ICE, Attorney Carlos Spector had failed to sufficiently established Emilio Gutierrez Soto's identity, had failed to establish that he will appear for immigration hearings, failed to establish that his parole would not a pose a danger to the community and failed to demonstrate that the parole would be justified for urgent humanitarian reasons. Spector says he feels the reasons given are without merit.

"The standard for releasing someone, is he likely to abscond? Will he come to his hearing? A person turns himself in, he can't go back, I think is a hell of a candidate for showing up for court." says Spector.