Castro’s press secretary tweeted a photo of the group praying before Robinson Palacios & Castro entered ICE facility.
Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio, escorted an asylum seeker to an immigration check in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday.
“Jose and his family are simply seeking a better life in this country,” Castro told reporters, “no different from generations of people who have come to this country from different places.”
Castro was there to witness immigration officials removing the GPS ankle bracelet Jose Robinson Palacios said made him feel like a criminal.
The immigrant from Honduras wiped tears from his eyes as he thanked Castro and other supporters who traveled with him to the federal office building.
Castro says Robinson Palacios represents thousands of people affected by a broken and unjust system.
Castro, who served as President Obama’s Housing and Urban Development Secretary, supports a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Kate Payne)