Slice of relief

Feds drop appeal of pizza guy’s freedom

The federal government dropped its appeal of a court order freeing an undocumented pizza deliveryman who was detained by immigration agents after he dropped off a pie at an Army base in Brooklyn.

Pablo Villavicencio, who is originally from Ecuador, could still face deportation at some point, but not before his own appeal of a 2010 removal order is resolved.

In the meantime, Villavicencio and the immigration advocates who fought on his behalf were celebrating victory against the Trump administration and a policy that has targeted hardworking, law-abiding settlers.

“We are glad that today the Federal Government fully withdrew their challenge to Mr. Villavicencio’s hard-won release from immigration detention and his opportunity to pursue lawful status,” Adriene Holder, the attorney-incharge of Legal Aid’s Civil Practice, said in a statement.

Villavicencio, 35, a married father of two little girls, has missed Father’s Day, a wedding anniversary and a daughter’s birthday in the two months since he was detained after delivering a pizza to the Fort Hamilton Army Base in Bay Ridge.

Federal authorities said Villavicencio’s name was run as part of a routine background check for people entering the base, revealing he was undocumented, an arrest that outraged advocates including Gov. Cuomo.

U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty ordered ICE to release Villavicencio in July.

“He has no criminal history. He has paid his taxes. And he has worked diligently to provide for his family,” Crotty wrote in a four-page decision at the time.

But the U.S. attorney’s office appealed the ruling, drawing out the drama for a family already on edge. Then the government changed course Friday and dropped its appeal without explanation.

“By dropping its appeal of a court order freeing Pablo Villavicencio, the federal government is admitting what we already knew — there was absolutely no legitimate reason to lock Mr. Villavicencio up and take him away from his family,” Cuomo said in a statement.

Villavicencio’s wife, Sandra Chica, is a U.S. citizen, as are their two daughters. Villavicencio has lived in the U.S. for 10 years, and has no criminal record.

Pablo Villavicencio, seen here with his wife and daughters, was detained by immigration agents after he dropped off a pie at an Army base in Brooklyn. He spent nearly eight weeks in a New Jersey immigration detention center before rejoining his family.