Jose Escobar’s Two-Year Old Son Attends Vigil Outside Detention Center

This is the Christmas Rose Escobar had imagined she’d be staying up late with her high school sweetheart and husband Jose, hiding toys for two-year-old Walter under the tree and anxiously awaiting the morning. Instead, the feeling in the house is tense. Money is tight this year as Rose has become the sole provider and much of it goes to lawyer fees. And Walter spends his days pressed up against the window, used to seeing his dad come home and not understanding why he’s not around.

Last week, more than 50 community members gathered in front of Joe Corley Detention Facility in Conroe, Texas, in a vigil to support Rose and her son. Rose told her story, and attendees chanted and rallied for Jose’s release. The 25-year-old Houston father, who arrived as a teenager from El Salvador and acquired Temporary Protected Status, has been in detention since June, after following faulty legal advice that led him to miss a hearing to renew his status. Jose has never been in trouble with the law and is married to a US citizen with a US citizen child. Under Department of Homeland Security guidelines, he should not be a priority for deportation and his case should be reviewed for dismissal.

After Rose started a petition calling for Jose’s release that has garnered more than 4,000 signatures, Familias Inmigrantes y Estudiantes en la Lucha (FIEL), a Houston immigrant youth-led organization, took up the campaign. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee also stepped in and asked ICE to release Jose. The Houston Chronicle, Univision, and Telemundo all covered the family’s plight. Yet Jose Escobar has remained behind bars for more than 6 months -- and the family faces the dismal prospects of a Christmas apart.

"We are pleased that so many Houston citizens came out to support Rose Escobar and baby Walter and call on ICE to release Jose Escobar, who should not be detained," said Abraham Espinosa of FIEL, after the vigil. "It is disheartening to think that an innocent child will have to spend Christmas without his dad, not knowing why. Jose's family needs him. The administration needs to follow its own guidelines and let this loving father go home."

“It’s been 6 months going on 7 and everyday is a challenge,” said Rose, who brought Walter to the vigil for his father. “However, God has been so good to me and has blessed me with friends and family who are with me during this time that I need someone to lean on.”

She said supporters of the campaign have kept her strong during these difficult days before Christmas.

“I look at my son and catch him every now and then still going to the window saying ‘daddy…’ That's what kills me slowly but at the same time gives me the strength to fight harder to give my Walter what he and I miss the most. I keep telling Jose to stay strong and pray. I want to thank everyone who has been there for me, Jose, and little Walter.”

Sign Rose’s petition to re-unite her family. If you’ve already signed, follow this and other stories on Twitter and Facebook.

Photo Courtesy of FIEL Houston