Two undocumented immigrants with no criminal history after coming to America and three U.S.-born children have been deported after 35 years living in California.
Gladys Gonzales, 55, and Nelson Gonzalez, 59, from Laguna Niguel in the hills south of Los Angeles, were arrested during one of their routine check-ins with U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) on February 21 and detained for three and a half weeks before finally arriving in their native Colombia on March 18.
In a post on GoFundMe, the couple’s three adult daughters — who are reportedly all U.S. citizens — said their parents never broke the law after arriving in the U.S. or missed an appointment with immigration authorities.
Remaining in the U.S. without authorization is a civil infraction, not a crime, whereas crossing the border without authorization is a criminal misdemeanor.
“This sudden occurrence has left us in shock,” wrote the daughters. “For nearly four decades, they have built a life here — raising three daughters, giving back to their community, and recently welcoming their first grandchild.
“Now, they are being treated as criminals, held in detention centers, and facing deportation. This cruel and unjust situation has shattered our family emotionally and financially.
“Every day they remain detained is another stolen from their family, community, and their home.”
A spokesperson for ICE confirmed the details of the case to The Independent, including that the couple had no criminal history.
The agency said that both people had entered the country in November 1989 near San Ysidro, California, and had ultimately “exhausted all legal options to remain in the U.S.”
The case was first reported by The Orange County Register.
It appears to be yet another example of the Trump administration’s sweeping crackdown on immigration, which has reportedly targeted not only violent criminals but permanent residents, backpackers, visiting academics, asylum seekers, pro-Palestinian activists with green cards, and undocumented immigrants with no criminal record.
Officials have invoked an 18th-century wartime law to deport hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador without standard legal procedures, apparently in defiance of a court order, the judge in the case has indicated
Gladys and Nelson Gonzalez came to the U.S. during a period of sustained violence and terrorism in Colombia, as the government fought a two-front war against drug cartels and left-wing guerillas.
According to ICE, Nelson Gonzalez filed for asylum in 1992 but his case was closed in 1998 after he “failed to attend an interview.”
The agency said that both Gonzalezes agreed to leave the country voluntarily in 2000, but then sought a legal way to remain through various courts and appeals processes over the next 21 years, until finally “exhaust[ing] all legal options” in August 2021.
ICE declined to say whether and on what basis the Gonzalezes were permitted to stay after that. But historically, many undocumented immigrants subject to deportation have been allowed to remain as long as they meet certain conditions and check in regularly with ICE.
This can be due to humanitarian reasons, health reasons, or simply being a low priority for removal.
