82-Year-Old Secretly Deported to Guatemala After Green Card Appointment, Family Told He Died
82-Year-Old Secretly Deported to Guatemala After Green Card Appointment, Family Told He Died
An 82-year-old Pennsylvania grandfather, Luis Leon, was secretly deported to Guatemala last month after a routine visit to an immigration office to replace his lost green card. His family endured weeks of agonizing uncertainty, including being falsely informed of his death, before discovering he was alive but hospitalized in a country he has no connection to.
Leon, who was granted political asylum in the US in 1987 after fleeing torture in Chile, went to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office on June 20th with his wife to replace his lost residency card. He was immediately handcuffed and taken away without explanation. His wife was held for 10 hours, and the family subsequently had no information on his whereabouts.
The family’s distress deepened when they received a call on July 9th from a woman claiming to be an immigration lawyer, who then falsely reported Leon had died. It was only a week later, around July 16th, that a relative in Chile informed them Leon was alive, though in a Guatemalan hospital. He had reportedly been sent to a Minnesota detention center before being deported, despite not appearing on official ICE lists.
Luis Leon, a retired leather plant worker who spent nearly 40 years in the US and raised a family, suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure, and a heart condition. His current health status in Guatemala is unknown. His family is now planning to travel to Guatemala to see him. An ICE official has stated the agency is investigating the matter.
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