A couple from Laguna Niguel, California, Gladys and Nelson Gonzalez, are being held in a Louisiana immigration detention facility, facing deportation to Colombia after living in the United States for 35 years. The couple, aged 55 and 59 respectively, originally entered the U.S. without authorization near San Ysidro in November 1989, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In 2000, an immigration judge ordered them to leave the country, granting them voluntary departure. Over the years, the couple pursued multiple legal avenues to remain in the U.S., including appeals to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Despite these efforts, they now face deportation by the end of the month.
The couple has no criminal record, a fact confirmed by ICE, but they are being deported for violating immigration laws. Their daughter, Stephanie Gonzalez, expressed her heartbreak over the situation, saying, “It breaks my heart because my parents are good people and they don’t deserve this.” The family has started an online fundraiser to assist the couple upon their return to Colombia.
Representative Mike Levin, who represents Laguna Niguel, questioned the prioritization of the couple’s deportation, stating, “If someone has no criminal background or gang affiliation, why are they a priority for deportation?” He criticized the move as a waste of resources that should focus on removing dangerous individuals, not breaking up families.
The deportation comes amid President Donald Trump’s administration’s efforts to crack down on immigration, with new ICE data revealing that half of those taken into custody have no criminal history.
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