Brothers Jesus and Guillermo Reyes were released from an immigration detention center Friday in Miami after the Students Working for Equal Rights (SWER) helped get the support of politicians, lawyers, and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida.

Jesus, 21, is a student and former student body president at Miami Dade College. His brother Guillermo, 25, is a recent graduate. They are the children of Venezuelan immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for nine years.

On Nov. 12, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrived at the brothers’ parents’ home, informing them that they would have to leave the U.S. and go back to Venezuela. The brothers were taken into custody, while the rest of the family went into hiding.

The Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center took charge of the suit and, with extensive grassroots backing, won a one-year delay in the brothers’ deportation hearing with an immigration judge.

Students Working for Equal Rights (SWER) was part of that backing. SWER was founded in 2005 as part of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, a network with chapters on 13 college campuses across the state.

“We focus our strategy on community colleges that are open to everyone, immigrants and citizens alike,'' said SWER organizer José Luis Marante. “For us, it's unsettling to know that there are young people who talk just like we do, have the same ambitions, but they can't move up in society. That's the paradox.''

Organizer Gaby Pacheco spoke about how hard they worked to gather support.

“We stopped our lives,'' Pacheco said, to organize a demonstration and vigil the day before Jesus and Guillermo were released.

Jesus told the Miami Herald how grateful he was. "The first thing I'm definitely going to do is go to church and thank almighty God," Jesus said.

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