Gov. Meyer Calls for Release of Developmentally Disabled Man in ICE Custody

SEAFORD, Del. – Governor Matt Meyer has issued a post on social media calling for the immediate release of a developmentally disabled man currently in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.

On Wednesday evening, the governor of Delaware wrote on multiple platforms about Victor Acurio Suarez, a Seaford resident and asylum seeker. Governor Meyer says Suarez was taken into custody after unknowingly approaching ICE agents while looking for work. He now reportedly faces deportation.

“Victor Acurio Suarez poses no threat to public safety. He has no criminal history and relies on his family for daily care,” Governor Meyer wrote on Facebook. “Delaware believes in upholding public safety and ensuring that our systems are not inflicting harm on individuals who pose no threat and are uniquely vulnerable. Detaining someone in his condition, despite full compliance with the law and a pending asylum claim, serves no legitimate public safety purpose and inflicts real harm on an exceptionally vulnerable person.”

In response to Suarez’s detainment, Governor Meyer says he has personally written to the judge overseeing his case. He maintains that deporting Suarez would separate him from his caretaker, returning him to a country he fled after brutal gang violence.

“Our immigration system must be guided by compassion, proportionality, and sound judgment–not by indiscriminate enforcement or for the sake of fulfilling quotas,” Governor Meyer concluded. “Delaware will continue to speak out when federal actions cross the line from enforcement into cruelty, and I will continue to advocate for the dignity and safety of every Delaware resident.”