NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. government has decided not to appeal a ruling freeing an Ecuadorian pizza deliveryman from an immigration detention facility.
Government lawyers notified the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday that they won't challenge a decision freeing Pablo Villavicencio (vee-uh-vih-SEHN'-see-oh).
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, says the decision proves there was no legitimate reason to lock up Villavicencio.
A judge in July ordered the Long Island resident's release, saying the government acted in a "thoughtless and cruel" manner.
Villavicencio was locked up June 1 at a New Jersey detention center after delivering pizza to the Fort Hamilton Army base in Brooklyn.
The 35-year-old Villavicencio is married to a U.S. citizen. Their two young daughters also are U.S. citizens.
