Luis Barrios, an immigrant facing deportation to Guatemala, has been granted a two-year stay of deportation, according to Connecticut U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. Barrios is seen in a file photo. (AP Photo/Dave Collins)
An immigrant in the U.S. illegally for more than 20 years -- after his family in Guatemala got death threats -- has been granted a two-year stay of deportation, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., announced Friday.
Luis Barrios, a 51 married father of four U.S.-born children, had received a 30-day reprieve hours before he was to be put on a plane from New York to Central America earlier this month.
Blumenthal said he was unaware of the reasoning behind the stay. However, he said he "can think of no more compelling case" for a reprieve.
Barrios left Guatemala in 1992 after his father received death threats, the Hartford Courant reported. His father was later murdered and his brother was killed in 2004. Some of his wife's relatives have also been killed in recent years.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT DEPORTED 15 TIMES ARRESTED IN HIT-RUN CRASH THAT HURT 6-YEAR-OLD BOY
Barrios, who is seeking asylum, was ordered to be removed from the country after he failed to show up at a 1998 hearing, the New Haven Register reported.
Barrios' immigration status was flagged after a 2011 traffic stop for a broken tail light. He began to receive one-year stay of deportations that year. There was no attempt to deport him until President Donald Trump made immigration enforcement a priority.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
