Loebsack weighs in on Iowa City pastor's deportation

IOWA CITY — U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, who represents southeast Iowa, has asked the federal government to reconsider the deportation of an Iowa City pastor.

'Following an outpouring of support from his family, congregation, and community, we are writing to inquire if there is any help we can provide with his request for a stay of deportation,' Leobsack wrote in a March 6 letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Washington, D.C.

Max Villatoro, 41, was arrested March 3 as part of a national sweep of more than 2,000 unauthorized immigrants convicted of crimes.

The Honduras native was convicted in 1999 of drunken driving and tampering with records. Since then, he's gotten married, fathered four children, and become a Mennonite pastor with a Spanish-speaking congregation in Iowa City. More than 40,000 people nationwide have signed a petition trying to stop his deportation. Two-hundred of those supporters, including Villatoro's wife, Gloria, and their children, marched Tuesday evening in Iowa City.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from New Hartford, has not opened a case for Villatoro, spokeswoman Jill Gerber said Wednesday evening. Villatoro's supporters have contacted Grassley about intervening on the pastor's behalf, Gerber said, but so far neither Villatoro's family or attorneys have requested help from Iowa's senior senator.

Loebsack, a Democrat from Iowa City, has been in touch with Villatoro's lawyers since the raid, Spokesman Joe Hand said Wednesday. Loebsack's March 6 letter included Villatoro's request for stay of deportation, case information, and background on Villatoro.

ICE denied that request Monday, but attorneys representing Villatoro say they will ask the government to reconsider based on a Nov. 20 memo outlining priorities for deporting unauthorized immigrants. The memo from Homeland Security Director Jeh Johnson says immigrants with fewer than three misdemeanors and no violent crimes should be the lowest priority for removal.

'The law is definitely in Max's favor,' said David Loepold, a Cleveland immigration attorney who has been working with Villatoro's Iowa lawyer, Dan Vondra.

Villatoro was still being held in an ICE detention facility in Jena, LA, on Wednesday, pending review of the case by the Bureau of Immigration Appeals, Vondra said.