(BATAVIA, NEW YORK) - United University Professions (UUP), the Nation’s largest Higher Education Union, is calling for the immediate release of one of its Members - a State University of New York (SUNY) at Brockport Employee who was taken into custody by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agents in front of his Batavia home.

German Machado, a SUNY Brockport IT Technician, was picked up by ICE Agents as he was preparing to leave for work, according to his wife, Maria Velázquez.

A Journalist, Velázquez said the couple fled the Maduro Regime in Venezuela in 2016 and sought asylum in America.

She said that Machado has a valid Employment Authorization Document (EAD) to work at SUNY Brockport, which expires in 2029.

Issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, an EAD proves that a non-citizen is legally authorized to work in the U.S. for a specific period of time.

Machado is being held in the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia.

UUP President Fred Kowal said: “German Machado is a good man and a hard Worker who is in this country legally and who is legally authorized to work in this country. As a Union, we will do all that we can to push for German’s release, including ensuring that his Federal Rights are not violated in any way by the Trump Administration.

“We are not criminals, we are good citizens trying to live a life in peace. We just want to live in safety,” Mrs. Velázquez said. “We own a home here. We are all professionals with University degrees. We work here and we pay taxes. (ICE) had no reason to do this to (Machado).”

Mrs. Velázquez believes ICE Agents were waiting for her husband to leave their house to apprehend him.

His car is still in the garage - but his wallet and keys are gone.

She said the couple came to the U.S. because the Maduro Regime threatened and harassed Velázquez for being a Journalist.

The couple applied for asylum in 2016 and they’ve been waiting for the case to be adjudicated since then.

“We have complied with the laws, we’ve been doing everything we can,” said Velázquez.

Alissa Karl, UUP’s Statewide Vice President for Academics and a SUNY Brockport Faculty Member, said UUP Members are set to hold a visibility event to support Machado on Thursday (October 15th), which is scheduled to run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the SUNY Brockport Student Union.

“We will stand with German until he is home with his family and back at work - where he belongs,” Karl said.

UUP Brockport Chapter President Susan Orr added: “German is a colleague and a fellow Union Member who is held in high regard on our campus. We are standing with him to ensure he receives his full Due Process Rights.”

To Directly Access This Labor News Story, Go To: Press Release | UUP demands release of SUNY Brockport employee seized by ICE