ICE grants stay of Charlotte teen to El Savador

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — UPDATE: Pedro Salmeron was granted a stay of removal Friday by the Board of Immigration Appeals.

“My office has been diligent in their efforts, working with officials at the Immigration Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security to appeal Pedro’s previously scheduled deportation,” Congresswoman Alma S. Adams said in a statement. “While Pedro has not been released, we will continue to monitor this situation and do everything in our power to return Pedro to his family. As a mother, I cannot imagine having my child taken from me and placed into our nation’s broken immigration system. This is yet another reminder of the need for comprehensive immigration reform.”

Family says son could be killed in home country if deported

The mother of a young man facing deportation to El Salvador opened up to Eyewitness News reporter DaShawn Brown Thursday.

Carmen Salmeron's son, Pedro Salmeron, 18, has been detained for six months and is being threatened with deportation.

That move could cost him his life, family members said.

Carmen Salmeron, an immigrant from El Salvador, is begging for her son's life.

"Please don't deport him,” she said. “The family is here, please.”

In January, agents arrested Pedro Salmeron, who was living in the U.S. without documentation.

He was being held in a cell in Georgia until his family said agents moved him to Louisiana overnight days after a federal judge denied his appeal to stay in the country.

“Being in the jail for no document, it's really, really sad for us,” his uncle, Moises Salmeron-Guzman, said.

In an email, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said due to security, they could not discuss his removal but also said Pedro Salmeron would not be removed from the country Thursday.

The 18-year-old talked to his mother by phone Thursday multiple times. 

Family members described the country as small, but dangerous, and said gangs there killed his cousin and are threatening to kill him.

"If somebody don't do it their way, they kill people," the uncle said. "They force people to do what they want."

Congresswoman Alma S. Adams released a statement regarding the deportation status of Pedro Salmeron

“Since learning that Pedro Salmeron's deportation appeal was denied; my staff has been in contact with ICE and DHS officials. We have been steadfast in our advocacy of Pedro’s case and his release. We will continue to monitor this situation and do everything that our office is allowed to do pursuant to the law to help Pedro.

This is a painful reminder of the need to fix our broken immigration system. Pedro is not a threat to public safety. He came to this country hoping for a better and a safer life. We as a nation of immigrants are better than this, and you can rest assured that I will continue to stand with Pedro and his family.”

Cox Media Group