Juan Carlos Membreño Portillo is originally from El Salvador. He had been renting basement accommodations in Glenwood Springs for roughly five years when ICE agents arrested him near City Market in mid-February. His friend and landlord who has asked for his identity to remain confidential out of fear of retaliation, attended his bail hearing Wednesday at the ICE detention facility in Aurora.
"I didn't get a chance to speak at the hearing. Um. I did get to talk to Carlos's lawyer a little bit, but mainly is what happened is the prosecutor had a document from El Salvador that said they wanted Carlos, or accusing him of being a gang member I guess. But it was in Spanish, so the judge gave the prosecutor another week until next Thursday, the 12th, to have that document translated."
This means that Portillo will remain in detention until the next bail hearing, after which his friend hopes he will be released.
"The guy is just a really nice guy. That's all I can say. And I'm going to do anything I can to help him out. And in fact I told his lawyer that I would be glad to sign some kind of responsibility for him, where they allow people to come to the United States if they have a sponsor. That's what they call it."
Portillo's friend and landlord says his tenant runs a crew for Aspen Roofing and has always paid his rent on time. He was the only person present for Portillo at the bail hearing. His boss at Aspen Roofing was expected but did not show up. Portillo's wife was also absent. Our source speculates. This was out of fear. This is a developing story that KDNK will continue to cover.
