Arturo, who is currently in ICE custody, has decided to fight his order of deportation. This will be a lengthy and costly process and we would appreciate any level of financial support that you can offer! Please feel free to share.

Hello Family, Friends, and Loved Ones,

As many of you know, on July 9, 2024, Arturo Contreras was resentenced by the Superior Court of Ventura County and ordered to be released from the California Department of Corrections on time served. During his resentencing trial, Arturo and his legal team demonstrated that he spent his nearly 30 years of incarceration focusing on improving himself and others. He worked with many individuals and organizations to learn about victim impact and has consistently taken responsibility for his role in the crimes that resulted in his incarceration. Arturo found his faith while incarcerated and has worked tirelessly to transform his way of thinking and live his life on God's path. Arturo and his family were incredibly grateful and overwhelmed by the support he received at his many hearings and ultimately his resentencing trial date.

However, on Wednesday July 25, Arturo was released from California Department of Corrections into ICE custody and was transferred to Imperial Detention Center in Calexico, CA - just 3 miles from the Mexican border. Arturo has been attempting to find a lawyer since his arrival at Imperial and struggling to navigate unfamiliar immigration and ICE detention center policies. For those unfamiliar, Arturo's parents were visiting his father's family in Michoacan when his mother, Josefina, unexpectedly went into labor at just 29 weeks. Arturo was born in Zacapu, Michoacán, Mexico on January 19, 1977, weighing in at just 3 pounds and remained in Michoacán for almost 3 months until he was able to travel home to California. Arturo is the only one of his mother's 12 children who was born in Mexico. All of his siblings are citizens and his mother is now a permanent resident. Although Arturo has a supportive extended family in Mexico, he has never lived there. Despite the legal barriers, Arturo has decided to fight to remain in the only place he has ever called home.

This is where we ask for your support! Arturo and his family have found an immigration lawyer that is willing to help him with various pathways to staying in the US and avoid deportation. He has met with his lawyer and has determined that he would like to fight to stay here with his loved ones. This will likely be a long process and his lawyer is working to see if it is possible for Arturo to fight his deportation order out of ICE custody. Whether he remains in ICE custody or not, fighting his deportation order will result in many legal fees as well as a large retainer fee to keep his lawyer on the case. We know how much Arturo is beloved by his family, friends, and brethren and we hope that together we can raise the funds for his ongoing immigration battle.

If in the unfortunate event that Arturo loses his immigration case and is ultimately deported, anything leftover after legal fees will be used to help him start a new life in Mexico.

Thank you so much for your love, generosity, and support! - Arturo Contreras and Family