Authorities Deport Man Who Had Lived In The U.S. For 30 Years

Willa Frej
Updated

Jorge Garcia, 39, bid his family farewell Monday under the watchful gaze of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, who required him to return to his native Mexico after living in the Detroit area for 30 years.

Emotional video of Garcia hugging his wife and two children at Detroit’s Metro Airport captured the emotional trauma that deportations can cause for families. Though members of Garcia’s family all are U.S. citizens, he was technically living in the country illegally.

Jorge Garcia, 39, of Lincoln Park, Michigan, hugs his wife, Cindy Garcia, and their two children Jan. 15, 2018, at Detroit Metro Airport moments before being forced to board a flight to Mexico to be deported. (Photo: Niraj Warikoo/Detroit Free Press/USA Today Sports Images)
Jorge Garcia, 39, of Lincoln Park, Michigan, hugs his wife, Cindy Garcia, and their two children Jan. 15, 2018, at Detroit Metro Airport moments before being forced to board a flight to Mexico to be deported. (Photo: Niraj Warikoo/Detroit Free Press/USA Today Sports Images)

“Yes, he was brought here at 10 years old and yes, he entered the country illegally, but he has no criminal record and his case needs to be looked at individually because he deserves to be here in a country that he’s known ― not Mexico,” his wife, Cindy Garcia, told CNN.

During President Barack Obama’s administration, Garcia received temporary extensions allowing him to avert a deportation order from 2009, according to the Detroit Free Press. ICE renewed the order in November and told Garcia he needed to exit the country by Jan. 15.

President Donald Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants includes widescale raids, arrests and deportations. From the time Trump took office until the end of September, ICE removals that resulted from an arrests increased by 37 percent over the previous year, the Department of Homeland Security said. Meanwhile, the number of people apprehended attempting to cross the U.S. southern border dropped to a historical low in fiscal 2017.

Garcia expressed sadness and apprehension about returning to a country he barely remembers.

“I got to leave my family behind, knowing that they’re probably going to have a hard time adjusting, me not being there for them for who knows how long,” he said in an interview with the Detroit Free Press the night before his deportation. “It’s just hard. It’s going to be kind of hard for me to adjust, too.”

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"The young Mexican couple spent five years working in Rhode Island with false Social Security numbers before they had saved enough to buy their own home, four years ago," Meehan writes. "They are active in their church and at their childrens' schools. At a kids' birthday party in the fall, the mother sat in the corner with tears in her eyes: Her father had died in Mexico, and if she had tried to attend the funeral, she would not have been able to return."
"The man is from the West African country of Guinea Bissau, spending time first in Cape Verde before coming to the United States," Meehan writes. "He works nights doing factory work, and studies English as a Second Language."
"The man is from the West African country of Guinea Bissau, spending time first in Cape Verde before coming to the United States," Meehan writes. "He works nights doing factory work, and studies English as a Second Language."
"The young man came from Cape Verde to Rhode Island with his family as a child and attended the public schools. He had embarked on a life of his own here before being incapacitated by a stroke. He is now back living at home and being cared for by his parents."
"The young man came from Cape Verde to Rhode Island with his family as a child and attended the public schools. He had embarked on a life of his own here before being incapacitated by a stroke. He is now back living at home and being cared for by his parents."
"The teen-aged sisters are from El Salvador, high-achieving students and aspiring artists who dream of going to college in the United States. Although it is possible to attend college as undocumented immigrants, they have not found their way there, and are now working in a local restaurant that caters to the Spanish-speaking immigrant community."
"The teen-aged sisters are from El Salvador, high-achieving students and aspiring artists who dream of going to college in the United States. Although it is possible to attend college as undocumented immigrants, they have not found their way there, and are now working in a local restaurant that caters to the Spanish-speaking immigrant community."
"The Colombian woman's children have begun to question her about why they continue to live in the United States with no clear path open to them. 'We try to keep our kids busy and not think about the situation, and try to do the best we can,' she says. 'Here is a great opportunity for them. They need to work hard, and focus on the future.'"
"The Colombian woman's children have begun to question her about why they continue to live in the United States with no clear path open to them. 'We try to keep our kids busy and not think about the situation, and try to do the best we can,' she says. 'Here is a great opportunity for them. They need to work hard, and focus on the future.'"
"Cape Verdean man."
"Cape Verdean man."
"Colombian family."
"Colombian family."
"The man from Guinea-Bissau prepares dinner for other friends from Africa."
"The man from Guinea-Bissau prepares dinner for other friends from Africa."
"The young woman is living in Rhode Island on an expired tourist visa from Cape Verde, working in a donut shop and doing hairdressing on the side. Together with her sister, who is also undocumented, they are raising her son."
"The young woman is living in Rhode Island on an expired tourist visa from Cape Verde, working in a donut shop and doing hairdressing on the side. Together with her sister, who is also undocumented, they are raising her son."
"The man from Guinea-Bissau lived in the apartment with his wife and daughter, until disagreements between them ended the marriage. He now sublets the rooms to other men, from Africa and Cape Verde."
"The man from Guinea-Bissau lived in the apartment with his wife and daughter, until disagreements between them ended the marriage. He now sublets the rooms to other men, from Africa and Cape Verde."

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.

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