Deported Iowa City pastor’s friends encouraged by Bush’s ideas on reforms

WASHINGTON, Iowa - Friends of an Iowa City pastor who was deported to Honduras appreciate Jeb Bush's 'bold stance” in support of immigration reform, but they want more specifics on how he would apply immigration regulations as president.

'It was encouraging,” Aliese Gingerich of Iowa City said Wednesday after Bush answered her question about Mennonite Pastor Max Villatoro during a meet-and-greet in Washington. She's part of Friends of Pastor Max, a community group with a presence on Facebook.

Villatoro, 41, of Iowa City was flown back to his native Honduras in March after being arrested as part of a national sweep of more than 2,000 unauthorized immigrants convicted of crimes

He was convicted in 1999 of drunken driving and tampering with records. Since then, he had married, fathered four children and become a Mennonite pastor with a Spanish-speaking congregation in Iowa City. More than 40,000 people nationwide signed a petition trying to stop his deportation.

After discussing the Villatoro case one-on-one with Bush, Gingerich said she was impressed with his answers. She wished he had been more supportive of DAPA - Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents.

However, Bush told the audience he agreed with Gingerich that 'separating families is not an American value.”

Bush outlined a path to legal status for immigrants - paying a fine, learning English, getting a provisional work permit and not taking government assistance.

'It's not amnesty when you do it that way,” he said

Villatoro met all those conditions, according to Roger Farmer of Washington, a member of a Mennonite community that is supporting Villatoro's cause as well as his wife, Gloria, and children, who remain in Iowa City.

'We're encouraged he was as open as he was,” Farmer said.

Gingerich said Friends of Pastor Max hopes to engage all candidates when they are campaigning in the area.