Publicity leads to death threats for man facing deportation from NH

By THOMAS P. CALDWELL, LACONIA DAILY SUN

MEREDITH — Meredith attorney Bob McDaniel, who is interceding to halt the deportation of a former government informant now living in New Hampshire, said publicity about the case has resulted in a rash of new death threats against the Brazilian native.

His client, Renato Filippi, entered the country illegally in 2002, but he cooperated with government officials in routing out “coyotes” — the criminal syndicates that charge extravagant fees to transport people over the United States border. In exchange, he was allowed to remain in the States. The government provided him with a Social Security card, a driver’s license, and work authorization papers allowing him to stay indefinitely, as long as he committed no crimes.

For nine years, he worked undercover, including in prison, and aided in rounding up both human traffickers and international terrorists. He won praise from members of the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and foreign intelligence officials.

But there was no route to gain U.S. citizenship because of his having entered the country illegally.

When the Brazilian syndicates learned that Filippi was working for the U.S. Government, they put a price on his head. He decided it was time to bring his wife and daughter to the United States. They entered the country legally and became American citizens. His daughter now works for Homeland Security.

Now living in Nashua, Filippi has been working for a Manchester employer who credited him with the business expansion that created new jobs for Americans.

In September, while making his routine check-in with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Manchester, he was ordered to leave the country by Nov. 6. The Trump Administration had changed a long-standing policy of deporting only those who broke the law and now targets everyone who did not come here through normal channels.

Manchester immigration attorney George Bruno asked McDaniel to assist in the case, and they filed a federal lawsuit in an effort to stall Filippi’s deportation.

The court filing made the case public and, as a result, the Brazilian media picked up the news.

“It heated up for him,” said Laurie McDaniel, a paralegal in the McDaniel Law Office, and Bob McDaniel’s wife. “His life was threatened in multiple ways on websites and on Facebook. Snitching is not well-regarded in Brazil, and the retribution includes torture.”

She said a lot of the comments displayed a misunderstanding of what Filippi had done. People thought he was trying to help the government get rid of other Brazilians, whether they were law-abiding or not, while “he never did anything to complicate the lives of law-abiding Brazilians,” she said.

Now that Filippi’s appeal has gone out on the Associated Press wire, the McDaniels expect more death threats against him.

“I think it’s a good thing,” Bob McDaniel said, “because the immigration enforcement people are not responding, and this will work to the benefit of the client.”

McDaniel said the legal team filed 250 pages of legal arguments and exhibits with the Board of Immigration Appeals on Thursday, as well as a request for an emergency stay on the deportation order, “asking them to stop long enough for us to pursue the legal remedies he has available.”

One remedy is the United Nations Convention Against Torture, of which the United States is a signatory. It prevents the deportation of an alien to a country where he is likely to face torture or other forms of retribution.

“There are mountains of evidence that, because of his service to the U.S. Government, he will not be well-received in Brazil,” McDaniel said.

The most promising remedy, McDaniel said, is the S-visa, available to informants. The U-visa is another option, for people who are the victims of human trafficking.

“This case is a caution to America that its democracy is crumbling,” McDaniel said. “If we have a law that says the United States can act cruelly and inhumanely, there’s something wrong with this country.”

Laurie McDaniel observed, “There seems to be no mitigating factors any more. It used to be that the length of time here, where there was a business, were things that counted. Only if you were committing crimes would you be deported.”

“Due process is a fundamental right,” Bob McDaniel said. “How can he have due process in 60 days? If he leaves the country his court case will be withdrawn. It’s deliberately impossible. We’re down to the last 10 days. The stay should be given, but it’s discretionary with the Board of Appeals. We’re going to fight up until the last minutes, and then we’ll fight after that. There’s too much at stake.”