LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The street vendor arrested following an altercation with a Las Vegas police officer was released on bond during his immigration hearing Wednesday.
The altercation happened in early August near the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign. 25-year-old Jose Carlos Hernandez Perez faced battery charges on a protected person, violating mobile food vendor regulations and obstructing a police officer.
As of August, selling food as a street vendor is illegal without a license. Clark County commissioners said they are creating ordinances after Governor Lombardo signed Senate Bill 92, gaining them the right to operate legally.
"I think the messaging from some in the legislature was we're open for business. Well, we're not open for business yet. That is the process we're going through,” Commissioner Justin Jones said.
According to a media release from Make the Road Nevada, Hernandez is the father of a 14-year-old girl. He is said to be released from the Nye County Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention Center after being detained by ICE on Aug. 8.
"Every day, I cried uncontrollably with my mother. I didn’t know what to do. I just wanted my dad back with me at our house. I wanted him to be with us again. Today in court, I felt nervous. I was thinking about what I would do when I saw my father. Listening to him and seeing him behind the screen made me cry," said Jose's daughter, Sandra. "I was afraid the judge would not grant him a favorable judgment and cried while we waited for the judge's ruling. Until the judge said that my dad was going out, my smile returned, and I just wanted to scream with excitement, the excitement to see him again and have him home again."
Advocate groups called for Hernandez's release to his family, such as Make the Road Nevada, the Fifth Sun Project, his family and over 1,400 community members who signed a petition for his release.
