U.S. Authorities Suspend Deportation of Argentine (Latin American Herald Tribune)

U.S. Authorities Suspend Deportation of Argentine
July 28, 2011

MIAMI – U.S. immigration authorities said they suspended the planned deportation of an undocumented Argentine immigrant, allowing him to remain in the country for an additional 12 months.

The announcement came after Immigration and Customs Enforcement reviewed the case of 23-year-old Miyen Spinelli, who had been ordered to leave the country by Aug. 15 and placed an electronic monitoring device on his ankle to supervise his movements, El Nuevo Herald newspaper said on its Web site.

“ICE has reviewed the case and will extend the earlier deportation suspension for another year,” said a spokesman in a communique sent to the Spanish-language sister publication of the Miami Herald.

The agency will review the case and the circumstances once again before this suspension expires to determine if it is necessary to authorize an additional suspension, the statement added.

Spinelli was intercepted near the border with Canada during a trip he was taking to attend an athletic competition. After his release, he returned to his classes at Miami’s St. Thomas University, from where he graduated last month with a bachelor’s degree in sports management.

The ICE decision comes one day after the Argentine consul-general in Miami, Miguel Talento, made a public appeal on Spinelli’s behalf in an interview with El Nuevo Herald.

The young man was brought to Miami by his parents when he was 13.

“We’re respectful of the U.S. rules ... but, we’re saying, in this case they have a result that we could call inadequate ... which strengthens us in our request for reconsideration,” said the Argentine diplomat. EFE