Hundreds rally, calling for the release of Livermore man detained by ICE

Several hundred people rallied at the Livermorium Plaza in downtown Livermore Wednesday evening, calling for the release of a Livermore man who has been detained by ICE.

Family members say Miguel Ángel López Luvian was detained by ICE agents on May 27 while attending a routine immigration appointment at the immigration offices in San Francisco. Last week, at least eight people were detained by ICE agents at immigration courts in San Francisco and Concord.

This comes as the Trump administration continues ramping up its detention efforts, saying it is focused on securing America's borders and ensuring that immigration laws are enforced.

López Luvian's family said he is now being held at the detention facility in McFarland, California, near Bakersfield, and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee locator system shows he is at that facility and in ICE custody.

López Luvian's wife, Rosa López, explained that for years, her husband has been pursuing legal status in the U.S. and has been showing up at immigration appointments whenever he is summoned.

"We’ve been fighting this for so many years, we’ve spent so much money. We’ve gone everywhere we had to," López said.

"And then all of a sudden, he’s gone," she continued, shedding tears.

"Miguel needs to come home, this is where he belongs, he’s been here most of his life," López continued. "I want somebody from immigration to hear his case, and know that he should get the opportunity to be here legal, not illegal."

López Luvian's family said that he is from Mexico and has been in the U.S. for 27 years. They shared that he works as a welder at Wente Winery in Livermore and is a father to three children, including one current Granada High School student.

"So me and other teachers and other people in the community just wanted to step up and help him," explained Betsy Wilson, a teacher at Granada High School who teaches Lopez Luvian's youngest son and has gotten to know his whole family over the years.

"A lot of people question, 'Well, why did it take him so long?'" Wilson said. "Well, because our system’s broken. He has been trying."

At the rally, López Luvian's daughter spoke, and his two sons wrote letters that were shared out loud. In one of the letters, his son said that his father had not missed a single one of his football games at Granada High School, and that his father's absence is weighing on their family.

People from all around the Tri-Valley attended this rally, telling NBC Bay Area they were heartbroken to hear what happened to López Luvian.

"He has an established family here, he’s been paying his taxes, his kids are in our schools, it's just so wrong," said Linda Randall of Pleasanton.

Many attendees at Wednesday's rally said they are now planning to contact their representatives to ask for their help in securing López Luvian's release.

López told NBC Bay Area that she is able to have a video call with her husband once a day while he is in the detention center. She said she has been with her husband for 26 years, and it is very difficult for her to be without him.

"He’s not a bad person," López said. "It’s not fair, because of the system and how we’re separated, and I hope it's just temporary."

NBC Bay Area reached out to ICE for comment and has not heard back yet.