Valley restaurant owner released on bail

A Spokane Valley restaurant owner, who is facing deportation after being arrested in an early morning traffic stop on May 19, has been released on bond from an immigration detention facility after letters of support from the community, his Spokane attorney said Friday.

Carlos Zuniga, owner of Tacos Tumbras restaurant and mobile taco stands, will return to his family in the Spokane Valley today after three weeks in confinement in the Spokane County Jail and the Tacoma detention facility, said attorney David Hearrean.

Friends and family members raised $15,000 for Zuniga’s bond, said Hearrean, who added that such bonds in immigration cases must be paid in their entirety.

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman said individuals released on bond from an immigration hold are typically granted work authorization until their hearing. A Mexican citizen, Zuniga, 44, has been waiting for legal residency since a petition was filed on his behalf in 2001.

He faces charges in Spokane County of assaulting the deputy who arrested him, as well as charges of driving under the influence and driving on a suspended license.