Court date for immigrant restaurant manager not until 2021

WEST FRANKFORT, Ill. (AP) - A Mexican restaurant manager in southern Illinois who doesn't have legal permission to live in the U.S. isn't scheduled for another immigration hearing until 2021 after he posted bond last year.

Juan Carlos Hernandez Pacheco's immigration case has gained national attention. Residents of West Frankfort, which solidly voted for President Donald Trump, rallied around Pacheco. He was released on bond in March after being detained by immigration officials.

Letters of support came from the police chief and others. Pacheco ran La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant for years.

The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan reports his last appearance before an immigration judge was in November to establish a case timeline. He's due in immigration court in April 2021.

His case is among more than half a million pending in the nation's immigration courts.

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Information from: Southern Illinoisan, http://www.southernillinoisan.com