Nelson and Gladys Gonzalez have lived illegally in the United States for decades, working hard and raising their families, regularly checking in with immigration customs and enforcement as part of an agreement to stay within the country.
However, when the Laguna Niguel couple showed up for regular check-in on February 21, they were taken into custody and sent back to Colombia.
The couple’s sudden deportation surprised three adult daughters, who are American citizens.
“They never broke the law, never missed an appointment, and this sudden outbreak shocked us,” they wrote on their fundraising site. “This cruel and unjust situation has shattered our family both emotionally and economically.”
An ICE spokesman confirmed that the couple had been given a final order for removal and had no criminal history.
Supporters say the couple’s case is part of a troublesome trend. Immigrants living in the country without legal approval, without criminal history, are detained during routine check-in and in some cases deported.
Living in a country illegally is not a criminal offence, but a civil offence, unless someone has been deported and returned to the country without permission.
Angelica Salas, executive director of the Human Immigration Rights Coalition, said she knows similar cases in Chicago, Texas and Florida, among other places.
“We need that optics, which is extremely cruel because people are being detained and deported,” Saras said. “The majority of people are not violating the law, because of low-level things that they really don’t deserve the punishment for the crimes they commit, even if they did it.”
NBC 4 reported last week that Esmarin de Jesus Peralta, 29, a Dominican Republic asylum seeker in Santa Ana, was in custody and faced deportation after he believed it was regular check-in with immigrant staff.
“I was shocked because he has no criminal history and his valid work permit, his Social Security number, he has a life here,” the man’s girlfriend, Ashelly Wang, told the news station.
During his campaign and in office, President Trump said he would launch the largest massive deportation in US history, targeting “millions of criminals” pose a threat to national security and public safety.
In the first 50 days of the administration, ICE made 32,809 arrests, of which nearly half (14,111) were found guilty, with about a third – 9,980 pending criminal charges.
However, the operation also led to the arrest of 8,718 immigrants without a criminal record, including the parents of a 10-year-old girl who is a US citizen and recovers from a brain tumor.
Recent data obtained and reviewed by NBC 4 found that in the first two weeks of February, 41% of the 4,422 people detained on the ice were immigrants without a criminal history.
White House officials said enforcement activities focus on arresting criminals, but people who violated the country’s immigration laws have also been arrested.
But the arrests raise questions about whether the Trump administration is shifting its focus and throwing a wider net to respond to President Trump’s political promises.
More recently, the Miami Herald reported that Venezuelans deported to El Salvador had no criminal history. The deported included young people who had recently acquired refugee status.
The administration, which has repeatedly described immigrants as violent criminals, is also revamping the immigration enforcement system. He raised the powers of immigration authorities by seeking the help of other federal agencies, representing local law enforcement officials and making it easier for people, including those who were given legal entry through two Biden-era programs.
Recently, the administration has terminated a contract that provides legal representation to nearly 26,000 immigrant children.
The administration also plans to launch registrations that require country migrants, including children, to illegally submit personal information and fingerprints.
When Gonzalez was taken into custody in February, their three daughters, Stephanie, Jessica and Gabby, created a GoFundMe page to raise funds for their parents’ legal expenses and help them rebuild their lives in Columbia. The trio raised about $62,000.
Stephanie Gonzalez, 27, listed as a fundraiser contact, could not be reached for comment.
According to an ICE statement, the couple illegally entered the country in November 1989 near San Isidro, California. The agency did not say which programs the couple was allowed to stay.
However, the couple’s trekking to the US came when Colombia led to the deaths of many Colombians, including a popular presidential candidate who was plagued by armed conflict, political and drug violence and was assassinated.
Immigration officers said Nelson Gonzalez, 59, applied for asylum in 1992, but his case was closed in June 1998 when he was unable to attend an interview. In the summer of 1998, an immigration judge also discovered that 55-year-old Gladys Gonzalez had no legal basis to remain.
The pair appeared before an immigration judge in March 2000 and agreed to leave the country, but instead they sought to appeal to each case. ICE officials did not say whether they were allowed to stay while waiting for appeals to be heard.
According to ICE, the process eventually ended in 2021 and was taken into custody on February 21 while the final removal order was being processed. A few weeks later, they were returned to their home country and placed on a plane.
The couple’s daughters told the Orange County Register that their parents were deported after reporting their stories first.
Stephanie Gonzalez said that her parents were relieved that they were free, but they were still dealing with the ordeal.
At least two sisters said they plan to travel to Colombia to see their parents soon, but a third sister said they plan to travel next month.
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