A U.S. congressman says the deportation of a North Carolina teen to Honduras has been stayed by federal immigration officials.
Rep. G.K. Butterfield says the director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued an order Sunday preventing the deportation of 19-year-old Wildin Acosta of Durham so the legal process can take place. He says he and U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California persuaded ICE Director Sarah Saldana to reconsider her decision not to intervene.
Acosta is being held in a rural jail in Georgia. He says he fled Honduras after a gang member threatened to kill him.
His arrest is part of the Obama administration's efforts to find and deport immigrants who were part of the 2014 surge of illegal crossings by unaccompanied children and families.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.