Federal judge to soon issue ruling in Livermore father's deportation case

"SAN FRANCISCO - A federal judge on Tuesday said she will soon issue a ruling in a case that could potentially give a Livermore father deported to Mexico a path back to the U.S. to be reunited with his family. For Miguel Lopez, who was deported this past summer, the decision in the U.S. District Court of Northern California could be his last chance to return to the Tri-Valley, where he raised his family and worked as a welder at a vineyard."

"Lopez mounted a legal defense after he was detained while appearing at a status hearing in San Francisco's immigration court, taken to Bakersfield and dropped off by federal authorities at the U.S.-Mexico border near Tijuana in June. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's swift removal of Lopez, then 46, came the night before Judge Thompson ordered that he be allowed to remain in the U.S., writing that the situation dripped with "inequalities.""

A federal judge in Northern California is expected to issue a ruling that could permit Miguel Lopez, deported to Mexico this past summer, to return to the U.S. and reunite with his family. Lopez was detained at a status hearing in San Francisco's immigration court, taken to Bakersfield and dropped off near Tijuana by federal authorities in June. Judge Trina Thompson previously wrote that the situation "dripped with inequalities." Lopez lives outside Mexico City and had worked as a welder in the Tri-Valley. His attorney argues he never had a proper opportunity to seek permanent residency; the government sought dismissal as moot. A tentative or full order is expected by Oct. 30.

Read at The Mercury News