HARTFORD, Conn. _ A Derby man who is undocumented and had been scheduled for deportation will be allowed to stay in the United States for another two years.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal's office announced that Luis Barrios has received a two-year reprieve from the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement while he appeals deportation to his native Guatemala.
Blumenthal, along with fellow Connecticut Democrats Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Sen. Chris Murphy, had worked with immigration officials for the last month to try to block deportation.
Barrios, an undocumented father of four from Derby, was granted a 30-day reprieve on a deportation order last week.
In 1992, Barrios fled his native Guatemala because of threats of violence. His father received death threats and soon after he left, his father was killed. In 2004, his brother was murdered.
Barrios was ordered to be removed from the U.S. in 1998 when, after applying for asylum, he failed to show up for a hearing. He came back onto immigration authorities' radar in 2011 when he was pulled over by state police for a broken taillight and turned over to federal agents. But Barrios was granted a stay of removal that has been renewed each year until now.
