Man at centre of immigration dispute released from custody

BOSTON – A man U.S. immigration officials are trying to deport has been released from custody after civil liberties advocates challenged his detention.

A lawyer for 32-year-old Sreynuon Lunn tells The Boston Globe (http://bit.ly/2qEtEgy ) his client was released without explanation May 25 from a Boston jail, where he’d been held since Feb. 6 on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Lunn was born to Cambodian parents in a refugee camp in Thailand. Both nations deny he’s a citizen. He was granted permanent U.S. residency in 1985.

He has been convicted of crimes, and immigration officials have unsuccessfully tried to deport him multiple times. His lawyers say those failures demonstrate he wouldn’t be removed in the foreseeable future, so it would be unlawful to keep him detained.

A ICE spokesman declined comment.

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Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.bostonglobe.com