The son of an East Cobb couple whom he said is being detained by federal immigration authorities said Friday that “the next week is extremely crucial to my parents’ case.”
Juan Lima, who attended Pope High School, wrote in a long social media post last Friday, May 2, that his parents, Osnei and Sandra Lima, were visited by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on April 30, and then taken into custody at the agency’s Atlanta field office.
From there, they were transferred to an ICE detention facility in Georgia several hours away, where they remain, according to Juan Lima on the social media posting.
When reached by East Cobb News on Friday, Juan Lima said he couldn’t say more about his parents’ current status because “we are trying to proceed with as much caution and wisdom as possible.”
He did not respond to follow-up questions about where they were being detained or why they were picked up by ICE.
But in an online fundraising appeal he updated Saturday, Lima said that his parents will be having bond hearings on Wednesday.
“That’s not just ‘fast’—that is a MIRACLE! When professionals said, ‘it could take weeks, months perhaps’… God says, ‘this is the perfect stage for the impossible to become POSSIBLE!’ ” Juan Lima said in the message.
Thus far, Juan Lima has raised more than $50,000, with the funds going to paying an attorney.
The Limas were apprehended during a massive nationwide immigration sweep by the Trump administration that has generated widespread controversy, and is being fought in the courts by immigration advocates.
The Limas came from Brazil in 1999, when Juan was eight months old, and according to their son, they have been model immigrants, running their own business and being involved in their church.
In an interview with “The Jim Acosta Show” on Monday, Juan Lima indicated that the immigration issue with his parents involved overstaying their visas, but he didn’t elaborate.
“My parents have lived in the U.S. for 26 years. They have no criminal record,” Juan Lima said in the Facebook post, which he later copied to a GoFundMe page to solicit donations.
“They pay taxes, knowing they may never benefit from them. They are loving, faithful, hardworking people who have spent their lives giving back to their community and church. They are worship leaders, volunteers, Bible study teachers—always helping others.
“My parents have been placed in one of the worst detention centers in the state—described by our attorney as ‘a tier above hell itself,’ ” Juan Lima continued in his appeal.
“It breaks my heart to know they are suffering simply for wanting to build a better life, and I cannot bring them home without your help.”
The Limas have been living in a rental home off Holly Springs Road and are the owners of a house cleaning business.
Their son said ICE personnel arrived at the home in unmarked cars and wearing plainclothes attire early on the morning of April 30, as the Limas prepared for work, and ordered the couple to come with them to the ICE office in Atlanta.
Juan Lima, a youth pastor at a non-denominational church in Cumming, said his parents were told to bring with them some personal belongings and their passports. Since then, he and an attorney have been trying to get answers.
There are two ICE detention facilities in Georgia, in Lumpkin, south of Columbus, and in Folkston, on the Florida state line near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
A search of the ICE online detainee locater tool did not turn up any results naming the Limas; East Cobb News has contacted the Atlanta ICE field office seeking more information.
In the interview with Acosta, a former CNN anchor who recently went independent on the Substack media platform, Juan Lima said the ICE detention facility where his parents are staying is overcrowded.
He said his father didn’t have a mattress, and was sleeping on the floor in a cell.
“I’m just a son trying to advocate for my parents,” Juan Lima told Acosta. “These are the real Americans we need to embrace. . . . Amid the questions, we still have hope.”
He was speaking to Acosta with an American flag hanging behind him on a wall.
“All I’ve ever known is this country,” Juan Lima said. “All I’ve ever known is this community that surrounds me.
“It hurts that my parents are treated this way. They came with nothing and gave me everything. They were not told why this happened.”
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Employers and people who provide a place to rent/purchase beyond the visa … Fine and charge them too. And any person or company who rents a place to live.
I suspect there isn’t a current law to enforce this. Congress needs to fix that and make it painful. For any employee, the fine needs to be 3x whatever their annual pay would be. So if there are 10 employees illegally working and earning $50K each, then when they are caught, the employer would get a $1.5M fine.
But I don’t think that’s the current law. Trump has the GOP in control of the House and Senate. He should be pushing to get these laws through ASAP, rather than wasting time on 1 more EO that only last 1349 more days.
I think entering a country illegally needs to be a federal offense with a $5000 fine + deportation.
That isn’t the current law, but perhaps Congress will do their job and remove all the “carrots” for people to enter the US illegally. In needs to be hard to live and work in the US if you didn’t enter legally.
Congress has avoided the problem forever. Last spring there was a bi-partisan bill to address many of the issues, but the GOP asked Trump and he told them to kill it, so they did. Trump isn’t seeking solutions, unless he can claim credit. The bill was far from perfect, but it was a significant step towards gaining realistic control over who do and doesn’t enter the country.
BTW, not everyone believes in fairy tales in an old book translated 50 times. Take the good. Ignore the bad, as we should do with all books. Not every word in every book is wise.
Last time I checked, we have the right to be free from religion in this country and the govt can’t support any specific religion NOR the lack of religion.
BTW, I’m a conservative, but the GOP has changed to the point where I wonder if any of them have sufficient morals to earn my vote. I just can’t vote for any liars. Policy is a secondary question for me at this point. I never had any doubt that Biden was trying to do the best he could for America, even when I disagreed with specific actions. With Trump, I’m always looking for the angle and the con so his family and cronies can get paid through the whiplash that he causes almost daily on 15 topics. Volatility seems to be Trump’s main goal – and division.
The Bible is clear of how we are to treat foreigners. “And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:19).
I am a conservative and I believe all foreigners should follow all laws of the country they are visiting and if that country decides to remove them then that is ok.
Our job is to love others wether they are foreigners or not, criminals or not. We need more of Jesus, he is the King of Peace without him there is no peace and violence increases.
Jesus said, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things are God’s.” Matthew 22:21
The point here is to follow the laws of the nation you are governed by. While you don’t mistreated them, if you come here illegally, you are subject to the removal according to the law.
While this family may not and should not be a priority, if they are still here illegally, then they are subject to be deported.
So much negativity regardless if you’re guilty or innocent.
Tired of people playing the victim card when their choices directly led to the predicament they are in. Breaking the law has consequences. Now, the big question is why isn’t Juan Lima in the detention center too?
Criminals every day they were breathing. Democrats are terrible people and bad citizens. Never trust a democrat.
Overstayed visa is a civil offense. You’re a moron.
What are “Democrats” doing in this specific situation that indicates criminal intent?
This is a popular refrain from people on the right, but they never seem to reference anything specific. I do not believe democrat’s are involved in this story whatsoever. I would also, like to remind everybody that the democrats DID attempt to at least begin to address the issue of immigration in this country, but the GOP killed the bill at the direction of Trump, preferring to continue to complain about the issue instead of fixing it. But we should not be surprised, the GOP has consistently showen that they are not interested in resolving any issue that can’t be resolved in a way that lines their pockets or the pockets of the President. They care for power and control, and not about addressing ACTUAL issues in this country like wealth disparity or fostering economic growth. the only real reason the GOP and by extension President Trump even speak about immigration issues is because it allows them to use dog whistle racisms to get out the vote from the monied cooperate interests back white voters, and working class white folk that are too poorly educated to realize they are being manipulated by a group of snake oil salesman with little scruples, and next to no empathy.
I noticed that the flag is black rather than the traditional red white and blue. This can have several meanings, but seems to have originated from pirates and indicates no prisoners. Why did Jim Acosta not ask him about that?
This isn’t news. They knowingly broke the law and are now facing the consequences. This may be a local news blog but stop trying to push a thinly veiled political narrative.
One has to ask, after 26 years in the country, why not become citizens?
Maybe you have to ask. Let me alleviate your ignorance. The reason they didn’t become citizens is because it would have cost them 2 years of income for only a CHANCE to be accepted.
Over staying a visa is a civil offense. Do you believe anyone with a speeding ticket is a ‘law breaker’?
Exactly what is the statute of limitations for illegal immigration?
There isn’t any.
They always knew this day was coming.
They had 26 yrs to solve the illegal immigration issue. Appears they did not.
The law is clear: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1325 Any individual who knowingly establishes a commercial enterprise for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws shall be imprisoned for not more than 5 years, fined in accordance with title 18, or both.
They broke US law and don’t think they should be held accountable?
Juan Lima looks to be over 26 yrs old as well.
Funny how you aren’t advocating for the arrest and prosecution if the illegal EMPLOYERS that are the reason many came for.
I’m calling for that. If we clamp down on their ability to work, they will have no incentive to come and stay illegally.