Local father and business owner to be deported on Friday
Owner of Eddie’s Steak Shed and father of three, Roberto Beristein will be deported on Friday, according to his lawyer Adam Ansari.
While Beristein received a voluntary deportation order in 2000, since then he has obtained a drivers license, social security number, and work permit.
For the past several years, he has been checking in with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Offices.
“They always told him if he doesn’t have a criminal record, pays taxes, and continues to lead the path of the straight and narrow everything’s going to be fine. But once a new administration came in, that wasn’t followed anymore. He walked in and was immediately detained,” said Ansari.
Visiting ICE offices like he does each year, in early February Beristein expected to update his work permit, but was instead detained.
He has been held ever since, and Ansari says Beristein will be bused to Mexico on Friday.
“It was first thought it would be the criminals, felons, that’s not what’s going on. It’s the people that are easiest to pick up. The people that are well known, documented, paying taxes,” said Ansari.
While they are hoping waivers will eventually allow him back in to the country, Ansari says the family is also considering a backup plan, like moving to Canada.
Still, he’s hoping the community can bring forth change here at home.
“Contact your congresswoman, contact your senator, contact the trump administration, we need as many elected officials to get behind this as possible,” said Ansari.