Schweyer calls for investigation into arrest
Rep. Peter G. Schweyer March 3, 2020
HARRISBURG, March 3 – State Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh, issued the following statement regarding the arrest of Franklin Urrutia-Cordon.
“Having watched the video of the arrest of Franklin Urrutia-Cordon at the Northampton County Courthouse, I am shocked. If the reports are correct, Mr. Urrutia-Cordon was working with the system to get his immigration paperwork right and settle his legal obligations while working and contributing to our society.
“From a human perspective, this is just wrong. We ask people to navigate an extremely difficult bureaucracy simply to have the same opportunities of success that my ancestors had, then we pull the rug out from underneath them. Mr. Urrutia-Cordon is married to an American citizen, is gainfully employed and pays taxes. To know that he has been thrown in prison and may be deported is unconscionable.
“I am not an attorney, but in plain language, the arresting ICE agent allegedly used multiple questionable justifications for the arrest demonstrating a complete lack of due process that everyone in the United States deserves.
“Lastly, the apparent coordination between the elected officials of the Northampton County Judiciary and ICE calls into question the judgment of the local officials who are supposed to take care of their community members first and foremost.
“I’m calling for a complete investigation of this matter from the Judicial Conduct Review Board and Bar Association to hold the Northampton County Judiciary accountable for their apparent poor judgment. Furthermore, I call on our federal representatives to hold ICE accountable for not only this agent’s actions, but the bureau’s policies and behaviors.
“I do not know Mr. Urrutia-Cordon nor, to my knowledge, is he a constituent of mine. But I have constituents who have been turned away from the border even with a valid Green Card, spoken with them about the fear of deportation and watched as loved ones are forced to go ‘back to where they came’ even if they were infants when they left their native country. This is not a new situation, just a more visible one and it is time for all Americans to stand up for what is right and fight back against this tyrannical behavior,” Schweyer said.