Nelson and Gladys Gonzalez lived illegally for decades, working hard and raising a family while regularly working with the Immigration Customs and Law Enforcement Agency as part of an agreement to stay in the country.
But when Laguna Niguel and his wife showed up for routine sign-in on February 21, they were detained and sent back to Colombia According to family’s GoFundMe page He Bing’s spokesperson.
The couple’s sudden deportation shocked their three adult daughters American citizens.
“They never violated the law, never missed a date, and what happened suddenly shocked us,” they wrote at the fundraising venue. “This cruel and injustice situation has destroyed our families emotionally and financially.”
An ICE spokesman confirmed that the couple had received the final order to remove themselves and that they had no criminal history.
Advocates say the couple’s case is Disturbing trends: Immigrants living in the country without legal authority, who have no criminal history, are detained during regular check-in and in some cases deportation.
Residents illegally in the country are civil violations, not criminal offences, unless someone is deported and is not allowed to return to the country.
Angelica Salas, executive director of the Human Immigration Rights Alliance, said she knows Chicago, Texas and Florida, Among other locations.
Immigration officials “need that kind of optical element, which is very cruel to people who are detained and deported.” “Most people are not breaking the law, even if they do it for low-level things, these things shouldn’t actually be punished for the crimes they commit.”
NBC 4 Report Last week, Esmerlyn de Jesus Peralta, 29, a asylum seeker in the Dominican Republic living in Santa Ana, was detained and faced deportation after he believed it was a routine sign-in with immigration officials.
“I was shocked because he had no criminal record, he had a valid work permit, social insurance number, and he had a life here,” Ashely Wang, the man’s girlfriend, told the news station.
President Trump said during the campaign and at the inauguration that he would launch the largest mass deportation in U.S. history, and he would target “the goal.”Millions of criminals“Who poses a threat National Security and Public Security.
According to the Department of Homeland Security statement.
But the actions also resulted in 8,718 immigrants without a criminal history, including A 10-year-old girl is an American citizen And recovering from brain cancer.
The latest data obtained and reviewed NBC 4 It was found that in the first two weeks of February, 41% of the 4,422 people detained on ice were immigrants without a criminal history.
White House Officials Although the focus of the enforcement action is on arresting criminals, people who violate the country’s immigration laws are also being arrested.
However, the arrests raise questions about whether the Trump administration is shifting its focus and investing in a wider network to fulfill President Trump’s political promises.
recent, Miami Herald Those Venezuelans who were deported to El Salvador have no criminal record. Those who are deported include young people Those who recently obtained refugee status.
Government, there Repeated description of immigration As a violent criminal, he has always been Modify its immigration enforcement system. It invites help from other federal agencies to represent local law enforcement officers and also improves the authority of immigration authorities by making it easier for them to deport their people, including those who have obtained legal entry through two Biden-era programs.
Recently, the government Ended the contract to provide legal representatives For nearly 26,000 immigrant children, this could lead to rapid deportation.
The same is true for the government Plan to start the registry Needing illegal immigrants in the country (including children) to submit personal information and fingerprints, which could result in fines or misdemeanors.
When Gonzalezes was detained in February, their three daughters – Stephanie, Jessica and Gabby created the GoFundMe page to raise funds for parents’ legal expenses and help them rebuild their lives in Colombia. The three raised about $62,000.
Stephanie Gonzalez, 27, was listed as a contact for the fundraiser and could not comment.
According to an ICE statement, the married couple illegally entered the country near San Ysidro, California in November 1989. The agency said under the plan the couple was allowed to stay.
However, the couple’s trek occurred at a time of armed conflict, political and drug violence in Colombia, resulting in the deaths of many Colombians, including a popular presidential candidate The assassinated person.
Nelson Gonzalez, 59, applied for asylum in 1992, but his case ended in June 1998 when he failed to participate in the interview, immigration officials said. In the summer of 1998, an immigration judge also found that Gladys Gonzalez, 55, had no legal basis.
The two appeared before an immigration judge in March 2000 and agreed to leave the country, but they sought an appeal in each case. Ice officials did not say whether they were allowed to stay while they were waiting for the appeal.
According to ICE, the process ended in 2021 and was detained on February 21 while handling the final order of demolition. A few weeks later, they were sent back to their homeland.
The couple’s daughter told Orange County RegisterThis is the first to report this story, their parents have been deported.
Stephanie Gonzalez said her parents were relieved and were free but were still dealing with the ordeal.
At least two sisters said they planned to go to Colombia to see their parents soon, while the third sister planned to travel next month.
