Rep. Wilson Gets 4AM Deportation Of Dad Stopped

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A last-minute plea to U.S. Congresswoman Frederica Wilson has stopped a father of four from being deported – at least for the time being.

Wilson, along with New York Rep. Yvette Clarke and Texas representatives Sheila Jackson Lee and Marc Veasey, were taking part in an immigration forum in North Miami on Monday when Carlos Rivas, 18, dropped a bombshell.

Around 9 p.m., Rivas, who was told to keep his question short, begged Wilson and the others to stop the deportation of his father Rene who was scheduled to be sent back to Durango, Mexico at 4 a.m. on Tuesday, according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald.

When Wilson asked why he didn't come forward earlier to ask for help, Rivas said his family had only found out about the deportation time hours earlier.

Rene Rivas was picked up by immigration several months ago and voluntarily left the country to head back to Mexico. Shortly after, he returned to South Florida to be with his family.

"After he slipped back in, they caught him (during a traffic stop) with no license. They ran his record and found out he had been deported and he wasn't supposed to be here," Wilson told the paper.

After the forum, Wilson hosted a dinner party for her colleagues at The Forge but not before giving her staff marching orders "We've got to do something." They made calls to a number of people at Immigration and Customs Enforcement until they found someone who could help.  They actually woke the guy up.   Wilson then spoke with that person directly and impressed upon him that something had to be done.

"I was trying to impress upon him: There are children involved. This is a family, real people we're talking about here," she told the paper. "He told me: 'These are tear-jerkers.' And they are. And they take them one at a time," Wilson said. "And they're willing to listen. That's what we hoped."

Around midnight, Rivas deportation was stayed. He is now in a state of legal limbo, but he won't have to go back to Mexico just yet.

Rene Rivas' son Carlos, his wife Ana and his 17-year old daughter Karla are not in fear of immediate deportation. Nor are the couple's two youngest children who are U.S. citizens, having been born here in the 12 years since the family came to the United States.

The Rivas family hopes that Congress passes an immigration reform bill that provides a pathway to citizenship. It's unclear, though, if it would apply to Rene Rivas because he already ran afoul of existing immigration law.

CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed to this report.