A Lincoln Heights man notched a major victory in his fight to stay in the U.S., when the country's top immigration appeals panel on Thursday vacated the deportation order against him.

The Board of Immigration Appeals sent Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez's case back to a lower immigration court in Los Angeles for reconsideration, which could take years to be resolved.

Avelica-Gonzalez has been held at the Adelanto Detention Facility in San Bernardino County since he was arrested in February while dropping off his daughters at school. His legal team is pressing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to release him as his case proceeds. Barring that, his attorney, Alan Diamante, is hopeful they can win his release during an Aug. 30 bond hearing before an immigration judge in Adelanto.

"I'm very delighted that everything worked out," Diamante said. "I just wish I could get him released sooner."

Avelica-Gonzalez's case has drawn national attention, thanks in large part to the video one of his four daughters made of his arrest that went viral.