The East Boston community came together Monday to support Marco Tulio Flores, a man of Salvadoran origin who faces imminent deportation proceedings.
Flores spent 13 years in prison after killing Jaime Galdamez, a family friend who Flores said sexually abused him for years. He was 17 at the time of the crime and pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, which now makes him deportable.
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After he completed his sentence on Dec. 30, Flores was transferred to an ICE prison in New Hampshire.
His friends and family are raising their voices to demand that he be given a new opportunity.
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The protesters' banners read "No to the deportation of Marco Flores" and "No more child abuse."
Protesters, mostly from the East Boston community, gathered at the Maverick Square station.
Flores' mother says he was abused since he was 9 years old. His family only asks that he be considered a victim.
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Flores came to the U.S. at age 6. His family says that El Salvador is not a safe country for him, and they fear that he will suffer reprisals for his past. Meanwhile, ICE declined to comment.
Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673, and Massachusetts provides this list of statewide and resources for sexual assault survivors.
