A pizza delivery turned into a detention (and possible deportation) when Pablo Villavicencio Calderon delivered a pie to a Brooklyn military base Fort Hamilton in June.
While attempting to deliver the pizza, Calderon was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and held for nearly two months. Calderon was held pending a deportation to Ecuador.
However, U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty granted Calderon release at a hearing on Tuesday, allowing him to remain in the country while he pursues permanent residency, according to Buzzfeed News.
According to the Huffington Post, Calderon's wife is a U.S. citizen and the couple have two young children together. Last year, Calderon began the process of obtaining a green card.
Crotty ruled Calderon be released based on the Administrative Procedure Act as well as due to his due process rights.
Video of the family's heartwarming reunion was posted to Twitter on Tuesday:
Pablo Villavicencio, also known as #PizzaGuy is released from a Hudson County jail following a ruling by a federal court judge granting him the right to obtain a waiver to kill his 2010 deportation order. pic.twitter.com/WmW3vihVXl— Joe Marino (@joemarino_) July 25, 2018
“I cannot imagine what Pablo went through the last few weeks,” tweeted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio after Calderon's release was announced. “He was separated from his family and his loved ones for delivering a pizza in America in 2018.”
I cannot imagine what Pablo went through the last few weeks. He was separated from his family and his loved ones for delivering a pizza in America in 2018. Glad he’s headed home, but it’s unconscionable that he was ever detained. https://t.co/H6pAk1Vtwy— Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) July 24, 2018
“The rule of law, humanity and morality prevailed tonight with the court’s order releasing Pablo back to his family and community,” said Adriene Holder, a Legal Aid Society attorney. “This decision should serve as a rebuke against the Trump Administration and its merciless crusade to tear families apart.”
The Legal Aid Society served as Calderon's defense team.
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