ICE Denies Efforts from Bell, Deports Constituent

St. Louis, MO - Today, despite efforts from Representative Wesley Bell (D-Mo.), his constituent, Boanerges Flores-Bravo, was deported to Nicaragua.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT:

"The more I think about my visit to help Mr. Flores-Bravo in the Louisiana detention center, the more disgusted I get with Donald Trump and ICE. This is a hard-working man who followed the correct steps to seek asylum and obtain a work permit. Today he has been taken away from his wife and daughter, and shipped to a country thousands of miles away from them. It's not fair, and it's not right.

As soon as I heard about Mr. Flores-Bravo's situation, I went to the Richwood Correctional Center to meet him in person and secured a privacy form to advocate on his behalf. But just two days later, ICE deported him.

Mr. Flores-Bravo told me that prior to me reaching him, he had already been coerced into signing self-deportation paperwork by being told his family would be deported without him if he did not voluntarily sign.

My heart is broken for him and his family. But this is not the end. I vow to hold these officials accountable.

I want to thank the House Oversight and Homeland Security Committee Democratic staff members who rallied to join us in working to help Mr. Flores-Bravo. It's going to take all of us continuing to fight together to reform ICE and the immigration process."

Rep. Bell toured the Ste. Genevieve facility in Missouri with Rep. Budzinski (D-Ill.) on May 26th, where Flores-Bravo was initially held after his detainment. Shortly after that, Flores-Bravo was transferred to the facility in Monroe, Louisiana. Since learning about Flores-Bravo's detainment and transfer, Rep. Bell and his team members sought every avenue to bring him back to his family in the St. Louis region, including going to Monroe, Louisiana to get the privacy form signed.