These are the kinds of incidents we can expect more of under the unconstitutional Arizona "immigration" power-grab and racial profiling law.
LOS ANGELES -- The family of a mentally disabled man claims that the federal and local governments mistakenly had an American citizen deported and said U.S. officials should help find him in Mexico.
Relatives of Pedro Guzman, 29, are suing the Department of Homeland Security and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in Los Angeles federal court.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit this week over what the civil rights group contends was the wrongful deportation of a developmentally disabled man.
Pedro Guzman was serving time in Los Angeles County's Men's Central Jail for misdemeanor trespassing when he was deported to Tijuana on May 10 or May 11, according to the ACLU. The family said they've been looking for their loved one in Tijuana for a month. Michael Guzman said his worst fear is that his brother is "no longer living."
He said Michael can't read, gets lost and often can't remember the family phone number.
The suit said Pedro Guzman was sentenced in April to 120 days in jail for a misdemeanor trespassing violation. The suit said that sometime after that the Sheriff's Department identified him as a non-citizen, obtained his signature for voluntary removal from the United States and turned him over to federal authorities for deportation.
Guzman, who knows no one in Tijuana, was last heard from on May 11, when he phoned his brother and sister-in-law's home to say he had been deported to that city, but the call was interrupted before he could say exactly where he was, according to the ACLU.
Guzman's mother, brother and sister-in-law traveled to Tijuana and searched shelters, jails, churches, hospitals and morgues, but have not found him and fear for his safety, ACLU officials said.
"This is a recurring nightmare for every person of color of immigrant roots,"
Mark Rosenbaum, the legal director of the ACLU's Southern California branch, said in a statement.
There are no circumstances under which a U.S. citizen can legally be deported.
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Lunchlady 2
Maynard G Krebs
Ed Stein
Peggy Kolm
Alysa Salzberg
Mark Wilson
Salon.com
Comments
Oh yes there are, and if there aren't any, they will cook up some. We call that national security. Thanks for bringing this up, and welcome to OS. R
While I don't agree with Arizona's law, what else can they do? The feds won't do crap.
-R-
Well that's according to the ACLU. The reality is more like you said it, they will just cook up a reason if they need one.
Miko,
You are wrong about that. Deportations are up under Obama. It's just nothing but right-wing lies to say the feds are doing nothing.
Bailey,
That's what I've concluded without such first hand experiences to draw from. These people advocating such awful laws are not interested in helping anyone but themselves and probably have no idea that letting loose this kind of unconstitutionality will be a mass negative effect on all of us. Not just undocumented workers but all people will suffer should such immoral laws come to pass in any state of the Union.