The fate of a Huntsville family whose story was shared before the City Council last month will be in the hands of ICE officials tomorrow in Birmingham.
That is when Antonio Barojas Solano was ordered to check in with immigration authorities. Solano,along with three other Hispanic men,were taken into ICE custody outside of a north Huntsville home on Aug.6.
He was detained for six weeks, but an immigration judge released him on $5,000 bail. ICE appealed the decision adn ordered him to check in. The family fears he might be detained again, complicating his efforts to gain legal status.
His wife, Chelsea Brunty-Barojas, told AL.com that the family initially feared he would be deported, but said they found out Tuesday that would not be the case.
She said immigrations officials have tried to have his submission for legal status thrown out because of a technicality. Barojas Solano is scheduled to have a hearing before an immigration judge in November about his efforts to obtain legal status.
Brunty-Barojas fears that if he is detained again, the immigration court appearance could be delayed, or his case could be transferred to another court, as has already happened.
In a letter shared during a protest outside Huntsville City Hall and before the City Council on Sept. 11, Brunty-Barojas, said her husband tried to explain that he was married to a U.S. citizen,had legal portrayal and had six children who are citizens. He was in the process of obtaining legal status when he was detained.
She described her husband as a man of faith, a father of six U.S. citizen children,”and the sole provider for our family.”
“he is not a criminal and has only ever had minor traffic violations in the past,” Brunty-Barojas said in her letter to the council. “He works hard every day in construction across North alabama, paying taxes, contributing to the community-and yet this is how
Scottsboro ranch Worker Detained by ICE, Family Faces Potential Relocation to Mexico
Scottsboro, AL – A Scottsboro family is facing an uncertain future after the recent detention of Antonio Barojas Solano by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). His wife, Sarah Brunty-Barojas, is urgently seeking support for their blended family, which includes children with complex medical needs.
According to a GoFundMe page established to support the family, several members are dealing with debilitating medical diagnoses that have been worsened by Barojas Solano’s detention and will require costly treatment. As of Tuesday, the campaign had raised over $5,500. https://www.gofundme.com/f/e5zjag-help-antonios-family-in-their-time-of-need?fbclid=IwY2xjawNtvxBleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE3TlF0RnVVUEp3cUVmWFIxAR6av1t6g_SqgQBD_zBw5_2Gv_UUjsffxNHDqlRcHlDdje7zJWIOCa0t7JBfAQ_aem_e0pz7lWgjvO5sYqsHsoHag
Brunty-Barojas explained that their 15-year-old daughter,Camille,has epilepsy. A scheduled check-in with ICE officials earlier this month was postponed due to Camille needing an MRI at Children’s Hospital.
The couple married in 2022. Barojas Solano was brought to California as a teenager and abandoned after being exploited for labor. He later secured employment on a ranch in Scottsboro,but was ineligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.
Brunty-Barojas described their family as a large, blended one, with five children total – two from her previous marriage, three from his, and their 2-year-old daughter, Colette.
Facing the possibility of deportation for Barojas Solano, the family is now preparing to move to Mexico. “It’s not what we want,” Brunty-Barojas stated. “My kids have complex medical needs. So do I. My kids don’t speak Spanish.We would be leaving. We would be taking U.S. citizen children to live in a different country and essentially not come back.”