A Honduran man acquitted for selling drugs on the streets of San Francisco is a victim and not a criminal, according to the San Francisco public defender.
San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju on Tuesday said the man was a victim of human trafficking and is asking the San Francisco District Attorney's Office to protect him from deportation. Raju called his client's acquittal a historic victory, adding it is one example of how innocent people are trafficked to the United States and then forced into a life of crime.
"The jury found him not guilty," Raju said. "He's a victim of human trafficking. California law protects them."
The public defender argued the man was raised in poverty and was trafficked to the US with a promise of a better future. The defendant only ended up indebted to those who brought him to the country, Raju said. His lawyer also explained why they are not giving his name out publicly.
"We're not releasing guy's name because he could face death threats to his life," said Elizabeth Camacho with the San Francisco Public Defender's Office.
The Public Defender's Office will also ask District Attorney Brooke Jenkins to sign off on a U Visa so the Honduran man can stay in the country legally and work.
"I will not be signing a U Visa in this case unless and until there's documented proof that this person has been victim of a crime," Jenkins said.
The Public Defender's Office said if the Visa request is ultimately denied, the man's future and his safety are unclear.
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