Winchester man in ICE custody in Western Virginia

Vicente Castillo Flores was arrested by Immigration Customs Enforcement, two weeks ago, trying to go through a toll booth.

His family says after showing his documentation and work visa, he was arrested.

“God is gonna bring him home and I know that,” Kay Castillo is waiting for the day her partner, Vicente Castillo Flores returns home. Castillo Flores has been in ICE custody, behind bars for two weeks.

“He was going to, West Virginia, help out to his nephew to help him work, and when he was going through the toll, when he got to West Virginia, there’s a toll booth and they pulled him over,” recalled Kay, on what it was like when she heard what had happened.

According to Kay, Vincente had been working on the next step of his status, he had his green card and work visa and had been living in the U.S. for over three decades.

“Being in there, his hope is down,” says Kay on speaking to Vicente.

While he remains in jail, “he’s still waiting down there in West Virginia to be moved to Pennsylvania or New Jersey for court,” said Kay.

Lexington Immigration Attorney Heather Hadi says it is important to know your rights if you do get pulled over or if agents come knocking on your door.
According to the National Immigration Law Center, all immigrants have legal rights, even if they do not have legal immigration status.

“One of the first things that I would do is ask for a warrant and you wanna see the warrant. Just make sure that it is signed by a judge and that it has your full complete name on it,” said Attorney Hadi.

Adding that you can also record the encounter, especially in the bluegrass state, which is a one party consent state.
Hadi also advises that in the event your significant other gets questioned by ICE, “call an attorney, explain the circumstances, make sure that you have the basic documentation for your spouse, like a birth, a copy of the birth certificate. If it’s in a foreign language, go ahead and get it translated now with a translator certificate and have that all ready.
Same thing with a copy of their passport, not just the bio page, but every page of the passport, including the cover page.”

She says being prepared is key.

“What I would recommend is everybody find out what’s on their criminal record. You can do that without any negative consequences by going and filing for, um, a FOIA, which is F-O-I-A, Freedom of Information Act,” says Hadi.

Adding that staying aware and alert is essential.

“So if you’re in an area that you already know has ICE officers or is being patrolled by law enforcement, maybe you shouldn’t be in that area. Maybe avoid that area and go elsewhere where you might feel more comfortable being fully yourself,” added Hadi.

Hadi also encourages those who want to be allies to speak out.

“If you are somebody who has legal status and this is important to you, definitely speak up, speak out, go to protests, call your congress people, call your local government.
Make sure that you are being heard,” said Hadi.

Meantime, as Kay awaits for the day her husband returns home, she has one message for him.

“I love him and I want him to come home. I can’t live without him, I just can’t,” says Kay.

We reached out to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to ask about the status of Castillo Flores, and have yet to hear back.