BURLINGTON, MASS. (WHDH) - A Lynn man has been released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody thanks in part to support from his community.
Robelio Gonzalez spoke through a translator and said he is filled with happiness after being released by ICE Friday.
“We weren’t sure what was going to happen until today and we’re very happy with what happened,” he said. “I’m very emotional and I just want to appreciate what the community is done for me.”
Earlier this month, a crowd surrounded a van where Gonzalez was being held by ICE agents outside his Lynn apartment.
An ICE spokesperson said Gonzalez, a Guatemalan native, was removed from the US on three prior occasions and was convicted of illegal reentry in 2011.
Gonzalez was eventually released from the van.
His representatives alleged his landlord called ICE after Gonzalez complained about unsafe living conditions. The state attorney general’s office is now investigating that claim.
Surrounded by family and friends Gonzalez turned himself into ICE at their headquarters in Burlington on Friday.
Following his hearing, he was released with a GPS bracelet and was ordered to check in with the agency again in six months.
“Be united, be together because there’s a lot of help out there there’s a lot of community organizations to help people,” he said. “I have felt their support. I have felt like this is my community, this is my city.”
Gonzalez’s attorneys said they are in the process of getting him a green card.
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