Mennonite pastor Max Villatoro was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on March 3 and is facing deportation.

Villatoro is a long-time community member and pastor of the Iglesia Menonita Torre Fuerte (First Mennonite Church) of Iowa City, Iowa. David Boshart, Central Plains Conference minister, has asked for our support in this matter.

ICE arrived without warning at Villatoro’s home a 6:30am. They took him before he had a chance to say goodbye to his wife, Gloria, and his children.

According to the Iowa City Press Citizen, Villatoro was arrested during a “targeted enforcement operation.”

“Villatoro came to the U.S. in 1995 illegally and pleaded guilty to record tampering four years later, according to The Associated Press. The Department of Homeland Security then pursued deportation starting in 2006, according to AP, and are looking to deport Villatoro to Honduras,” says the article.

According to the Center for Worker Justice for Eastern Iowa, Villatoro may be eligible for the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans program.

His four children—Anthony, Etna, Angela, and Aileen—are U.S. citizens.

Center for Worker Justice for Eastern Iowa invites individuals to call the ICE Field Office and advocate for Max Villatoro, asking them to stop his deportation immediately and grant him a stay of removal:
Call the ICE Field Office at 888-351-4024 (choose option2):
Urge them to grant Max Villatoro (A# 094-338-085) a stay of removal.

Central Plains Mennonite Conference has created a webpage in order to keep people informed about what is going on. It also contains a link to a MoveOn.org petition: http://www.centralplainsmc.org/free-max-villatoro.html