Restaurant manager granted 4-month delay

Gonzalez, ticketed for deportation, gets more family time.

Francisco Javier Gonzalez, the Palm Beach restaurant manager facing deportation to Mexico, was officially granted a four-month extension on his meeting with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday, according to his lawyer Richard Hujber.

The decision came about one week after Gonzalez’s original meeting with ICE officials was canceled after his lawyer petitioned the agency to give Gonzalez more time. Gonzalez’s next meeting with immigration officials is scheduled for Aug. 30.

“I think giving him that kind of time was appropriate,” Hujber said. “I think they treated him well. They knew about the case.”

Gonzalez, who manages Pizza Al Fresco and lives in West Palm Beach, has garnered attention and support from residents in and around Palm Beach for his fight against deportation. An online petition on change.org in support of Gonzalez has more than 100,000 signatures.

Gonzalez has attended immigration meetings for several years in an attempt to fix a mistake he made when he entered the United States using what he thought was a valid visa as a teenager. Gonzalez has a wife and three young daughters, and he and other Palm Beach residents said they are worried how his family will cope if Gonzalez is deported.

Hujber said Gonzalez is still waiting to hear back on several important decisions in the coming months — such as Gonzalez’s approved marriage petition — which could help bolster Gonzalez’s case against deportation.

“I’m happy he’s finally getting the consideration that he should be getting,” Hujber said.