Man Reunited With Family After Being Detained By ICE For One Month
BURLINGTON (CBS) – A small group of protesters in Burlington says it all comes down to one question.
"Is breaking up families really what we want to do?" asked Laura Dike.
Fabiano De'Oliveira had been away from his wife and 5-year-old son for the past month.
De'Oliveira was detained by ICE until he was released Friday night.
"I couldn't even sleep last night," De'Oliveira said. "I couldn't believe I was already home. It was amazing seeing my son he was so happy to see me."
De'Oliveira came face to face with the people who have been pushing for his release.
Some he didn't even know. But they were marching behind him and others going through similar circumstances.
"So-called immigrants are part of our community. These are people who have been here for years. They are not newly arrived," said Joan Amaral of the Beverly Multi-Faith Coalition.
Laurel Collins knows what it's like to be afraid. She now carries around her citizenship papers as a naturalized citizen.
"Afraid to go into a federal building. Afraid to cross a border. Afraid to board a plane even when you are here legally," Collins said.
De'Oliveira and his family say they understand the role of ICE, but hope the worst is over.
Now they are left with the next steps - filling out waivers, writing letters, and hopefully obtaining a green card so that this never happens again.
"Being away from them was just like made me realize how much I love them," said De'Oliveira.