Pastor to Be Deported, Protest at Linn Co. Jail

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — More than 100 people have gathered outside the Linn County Jail to rally against the deportation of an Iowa City pastor to Honduras.

Max Villatoro is a pastor at First Mennonite Church and a father of four children. His wife says he was arrested by immigration officials on his way to work Tuesday.

Federal documents say Villatoro illegally came to the U.S. in 1995. He pleaded guilty to a case of record tampering four years later, and then in 2006, the Department of Homeland Security pursued his deportation.

Linn County Jail officials say they're uncertain when Villatoro will be moved, because notifications in deportation cases often come with less than a 24 hour notice.

Villatoro's wife says she'll keep fighting to save her husband from deportation.