CHARLOTTE — Eight of the 30 people detained at the raid at Buckeye Fire Equipment in Kings Mountain last month were in federal court in Charlotte for the first time on Tuesday.
None of the eight were released on bond, but several of them will once again face a judge later this week and will find out if they are going to be given the opportunity to get out of jail while they await trial.
Of the eight, seven of the people arrested are charged with illegal reentry of a previously removed person – but one man faces different charges – charges that could mean a different punishment.
Law enforcement arrested Jose De La Cruz-Lopez on June 25 at Buckeye. Unlike the others in Court Tuesday, the charges he faces are for the misuse of a social security number and using a false statement or document in an immigration matter.
The first seven cases Kessler addressed all played out in a similar manner and were relatively brief, De La Cruz-Lopez’s case was different in that it was a detention hearing. His attorney, Carson Smith, requested the judge consider allowing his release and offered evidence including a letter from his wife.
“My husband is not a criminal. He is a noble, hardworking man, a loving husband, and a father who only seeks the well-being of his home. I ask with all my heart that we be allowed to continue raising our children together, in unity, so they can grow up in the best possible way,” the letter reads.
Smith told the court De La Cruz-Lopez doesn’t have a criminal record, and one of his four children is an American citizen. Three of his children as well as his wife are also in the country legally under asylum status. However, De La Cruz-Lopez isn’t.
Smith explained to the judge that his client came to the country for a chance at a better life to provide for his family, saying in Mexico he worked on a ranch making $53 a week.
At Buckeye, he was able to earn $20 an hour, meaning he could make more than his weekly pay in Mexico in less than three hours. Cruz-Lopez’s attorney also told the judge that he, along with his wife and children, are willing to self-deport back to Mexico if that option is on the table.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Odulio argued De La Cruz-Lopez should not be released and called him a “serious flight risk,” due to the fact he had already shown his ability to obtain false documentation.
He also said Cruz-Lopez was previously encountered at the Texas border in 2008 where he was returned to Mexico three separate times.
The judge did not make a ruling on Lopez-Cruz’s detention but will file an order with his decision at a later date.
Cruz-Lopez’s neighbors was in court along with his wife on Tuesday and spoke with Channel 9, she asked not to be named but hopes the family can get what they are looking for.
“They wanna go home to Mexico, especially with everything that this country is doing to them, it is not okay.”
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