Mexican businessman Sandro González Domínguez remains in limbo after an immigration judge granted him a $7,500 bond, while a federal court order to return him to Puerto Rico had still not been carried out by the end of Thursday. Immigration judge Elvin Talavera Peraza determined at a hearing held Thursday in Guaynabo that González Domínguez poses neither a flight risk nor a danger to the community, contrary to the arguments of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The businessman appeared by videoconference from Florida. A day earlier, federal judge Raúl Arias Marxuach had ordered immigration authorities to return him to Puerto Rico, but the order had not been fulfilled by the close of Thursday. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico questioned his transfer out of the island and the delays in his return.
The organization celebrated the granting of bond and reiterated that Puerto Rico has been his home for years. It had filed a habeas corpus petition to prevent his transfer out of the jurisdiction while the court handled his case. González Domínguez was detained Saturday, Sept. 26, by ICE agents.
He has lived in the United States and Puerto Rico for 28 years and takes part in a company that operates eight establishments and employs about 115 people. Despite the bond, both his release and his return to Puerto Rico remained pending at the end of Thursday.