Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
MALDEN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Malden community is rallying behind a local roofer who was recently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Hernan Escobar is being held at a facility in Plymouth after being arrested by ICE while driving to work on Sept. 17, according to his wife, Leslie Gonzalez. She said she believes he was racially profiled by the masked officers, who did not know his immigration status.
“It’s incredibly terrifying to think that just because of the color of your skin, you might be stopped. They did not know that Hernan was not a citizen,” said Gonzalez. “It could be my father, who is a U.S. citizen. It could be anyone in the community who looks like Hernan.”
Gonzalez was on the phone with her husband as he was getting detained, and said that ICE failed to provide identification before smashing through his car window. According to his supporters, Escobar has no criminal record and has been in the process of getting legal status.
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Gonzalez described her husband as kind, quiet, and helpful. While at a rally in Malden on Monday, Gonzalez grew emotional, saying Escobar would be abashed to see all the people there to support him.
“My husband believes that a good deed is done in silence, so it’s hard to talk about all the good things he does,” said Gonzalez.
A bond hearing is unlikely anytime soon, but Leslie said she has spoken with him daily. Her message to her husband has been simple.
“Please don’t stop fighting,” said Gonzalez.
WBZ NewsRadio has reached out to ICE for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.