PALM BEACH, Fla. – The manager of a popular pizza parlor in Palm Beach will not be deported, "for now," his attorney told ABC affiliate WPBF Thursday night.
Attorney Richard Hujber told WPBF he received a letter from the Department of Homeland Security instructing him to cancel Javier Gonzalez's plane ticket to Mexico.
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Gonzalez, who manages Pizza Alfresco, was previously told to present the one-way ticket to Mexico to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on Tuesday in Miramar.
Fearing the married father of three would be detained on Tuesday, Gonzalez's attorney said he decided to email the plane ticket to immigration officials instead, as they continued to fight in court.
That fight included filing an appeal in federal court, asking for a temporary injunction in the case.
"He actually has a lot of faith. He's a very optimistic person," Hujber told Local 10 News.
Gonzalez's wife is a U.S. citizen, as are their three children.
The plane ticket was for a flight that leaves next Tuesday.
While the decision on Gonzalez is temporary, Hujber said they are optimistic about their chances of a federal judge ruling that he will be allowed to stay in the country for good.
Gonzalez first arrived in the U.S. when he was 15 to live with his brother. He eventually went back to Mexico for a visit and when he returned to the U.S. he was told the visa he had used previously was no longer valid.
Gonzalez was then sent back to Mexico and was instructed not to return to the U.S. for five years.
But Hujber told WPBF that the paperwork didn't properly spell out that his client couldn't return to the U.S., and he was caught by authorities when he did return.
"If they made me return, I'd go back with empty hands and leave everything behind," Gonzalez told Local 10 News reporter Trent Kelly earlier this week. "That's why I have to continue to fight."
Gonzalez has lived in Palm Beach County for the past 10 years. He checks in regularly with ICE and DHS officials.