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Immigrant with support in Illinois town released on bond

WEST FRANKFORT, Ill. – A Mexican restaurant manager in southern Illinois who doesn’t have legal permission to live in the U.S. has been released on bond after being detained last month by immigration officials.

Juan Carlos Hernandez Pacheco posted bond after a hearing Wednesday in Kansas City, Missouri. His lawyer requested his release until his case can be heard.

The administration of President Donald Trump has been clamping down on immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.

Letters of support for Pacheco had poured in from the mayor, police chief and others in West Frankfort, which is solid Trump country but is also where Pacheco was the popular manager of La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant for a decade.

Hernandez told The New York Times following his release that he’s relieved, tired and “amazed by the support.”

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