Friends and family of a former Stamford man rallied Monday in a push to have federal lawmakers prevent him from being deported.

Supporters of 24-year-old Santiago Nunez rallied outside of Hartford's immigration court today demanding his immediate release. Nunez was detained by ICE in Arizona after getting pulled over with his wife for his Connecticut license plates.

He has been detained for the past five months and held at Florence Correctional Center for overstaying a visa on arrival when he was just 6 years old.

"The thing is it's all he knows, he came here when he was 6 years old, I don't think he even has any recollection of when he was in Uruguay," says friend Maria Salazar. "He's built a life here, he's married."

In an effort to have his deportation order rescinded, Nunez's family met Monday with Sen. Chris Murphy's aides. They're trying to get officials on board in order to release Nunez so he can return to his family and community.

According to friends and family, Nunez has not been given any feasible options besides deportation, and they say he has faced harsh conditions while being detained. In a race against time, the family has gathered signatures for Nunez's release and will be reaching out to Sen. Richard Blumenthal next.