April 20, 2017 - 2:49 PM
MIAMI - Immigration authorities have deported a Nicaraguan man appealing for asylum despite pleas by immigrant rights groups in South Florida.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday that 25-year-old Espilvio Sanchez-Benavidez was deported following a court's order.
Sanchez-Benavidez is appealing an asylum case that was denied in 2015 for lack of evidence. He arrived in the U.S. in 2013 after receiving death threats following the killing of two relatives.
His wife says he was detained last month after meeting officials for a regular check-in. Advocates and lawyers demanded this week that lawmakers investigate an alleged increase in similar detentions at ICE's office near Fort Lauderdale.
Activists submitted a document bearing about 9,500 signatures to U.S. Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Carlos Curbelo of Florida petitioning to halt the man's deportation.
Sanchez-Benavidez was deported on Wednesday.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017