After seven months locked up in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention, a decorated Army veteran with a criminal past received an unexpected hurdle to clear late Friday afternoon.

José Barco has been awaiting an immigration judge’s decision on whether he will be removed from the United States. Two weeks ago, the 39-year-old former Iraq War soldier testified in what he thought was a final deportation hearing.

But just over an hour before the courts closed for the weekend, Barco’s attorney Friday received a surprise notice to appear for yet one more hearing “to discuss the charge of removability,” an explanatory phrase that is rarely used in immigration court hearing notices. Called a Master Calendar Hearing, the proceeding is closed to the public and scheduled for Sept. 4.

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