Paul has been living in Philadelphia for nearly 13 years. He is a hard-working man who sends money to his mother in his native country to support her, enjoys dancing, and teaches English lessons in his free time. Paul is an essential worker, but the restaurant where he worked was shut down due to COVID-19 in March 2020. Paul’s employer, Isaac, knew what kind of worker and person Paul is and employed him elsewhere until the restaurant could re-open. In November 2020 Paul was arrested by ICE while walking down the street and was detained at York County Prison.
Upon arriving, the prison was in the midst of a severe COVID-19 outbreak. Paul was placed into quarantine and was not permitted to appear for his bond hearing. He was connected to PAIFUP in December 2020 and his attorney immediately began trying to secure his release. The prison continually rescheduled Paul's hearings - first, because of the COVID-19 outbreak, and then, because Paul tested positive for COVID-19.
Finally, after two months in detention, Paul was given a bond hearing and ordered released. Paul’s lawyer worked with Isaac to pay the bond in Philadelphia but ran into hurdles. The bond office was closed unexpectedly, and then ICE told Isaac that they didn’t have Paul’s paperwork and the system was down. Growing frustrated, Isaac decided he would drive two hours to York to pay Paul’s bond and wait for him to be released from custody. Paul was released and is now helping to re-open the restaurant with Isaac. He is pursuing his case in Philadelphia with his PAIFUP lawyer and continues contributing positively to his community in the city that he loves and calls home.
Names have been changed to protect anonymity.
