Prominent Florida restaurant manager gets 3-month reprieve from deportation
Francisco Javier Gonzalez, the manager of the Pizza Al Fresco restaurant, was scheduled to check in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Broward County on Friday morning, at which point he could have faced deportation, but Boynton Beach attorney Richard Hujber said the meeting has been delayed for three months.
A Change.org petition created by Hujber last week to raise awareness about Gonzalez's case had more than 8,400 signatures Thursday.
In an update posted on the petition just before 7 p.m. Thursday, Hujber said there was "no doubt" that the petition helped win Gonzalez an extension.
“It appears that they have recognized the vast efforts we have made on his behalf, and the amazing support from the South Florida community, as well as people from all around the world - all in support of this urgent and compelling case,” Hujber wrote. “Javier and his family thank everyone who took the time and effort to sign the petition, and also make calls and share this petition with so many others.”
Gonzalez, 36, has lived in Palm Beach County, Florida, for two decades, and spent the last nine years working at the landmark restaurant on Palm Beach’s Worth Avenue.
Gonzalez has served many Palm Beach socialites and local celebrities, including the likes of President Donald Trump's family, according to Richard Hujber, a Boynton Beach immigration attorney who is representing Gonzalez.
