New Jersey pastor released from ICE detention center after 3 weeks in custody

A New Jersey pastor who was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in March has been released.

New video from the National Latino Evangelical Coalition shows Yeison Cortes Vasquez leaving ICE's Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark.

Cortes Vasquez is a pastor at The Gathering Place Church in Elizabeth. Church members said he was detained on March 20 while working his day job in food delivery.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Cortes Vasquez entered the U.S. from Colombia and knowingly overstayed his tourist visa, which expired in July 2016.

"Vasquez has been released on bond with a GPS monitor while he undergoes further removal proceedings. He will receive full due process," DHS said in a statement, in part, on Saturday.

The National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NaLEC) previously said Cortes Vasquez has no criminal record and was ministering to other detainees at Delaney Hall while in custody. The organization was thrilled by his release.

"This is what happens when the Church shows up-with conviction, compassion, and a deep commitment to justice," the Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero, NaLEC president and The Gathering Place senior pastor, said in a statement, adding, "Pastor Yeison should never have been detained in the first place. His release is a moment of answered prayer, but also a reminder that our immigration system is broken and must reflect both the rule of law and the dignity of every person made in the image of God. We can uphold secure borders and still ensure that pastors, families, and those seeking refuge are treated with fairness, humanity, and due process."

According to the coalition, Cortes Vasquez is married and has three daughters.