ORLANDO, Fla. – Cleon Williams, the Orlando music venue owner better known as “Uncle Lou,” is now in ICE custody, according to his attorney.
Philip Arroyo says Williams, 62, was taken by ICE Tuesday morning and is no longer in the Orange County Jail.
Williams had been held in jail on an immigration detainer, but days after his initial booking, we learned he would face a second-degree misdemeanor of intent to sell alcohol without a license. The charge stemmed from a state agency raiding Uncle Lou’s Entertainment Hall on Mills Avenue earlier this month.
An ICE hold was placed on Williams for an expired visa. However, he was held in jail for 10 days before ICE picked him up, which violates the 72-hour hold the county originally agreed to in its agreement with ICE, along with the 48-hour hold the county recently agreed to adopt in a new deal with the agency.
The local music scene has rallied around Williams since his arrest to try to get him out of jail. Williams has been a fixture in the community for about two decades, with supporters saying his bar was like an incubator for emerging talent.
Local lawmakers were working to try to help Williams get out of jail, including Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Orlando.
News 6’s Community Correspondent Mike Valente has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and is waiting to hear back. A search on ICE’s website does show that Williams is in ICE custody. Under ‘Current Detention Facility,’ however, the website reads ‘Call ICE for Details.’
Valente also reached out to the Orange County Jail, but was told that federal law prevents them from commenting on ICE inmates.