Livermore man deported to Mexico after ICE arrest two weeks ago
Miguel Angel Lopez — a longtime Livermore resident who was detained at San Francisco Immigration Court two weeks ago — has been deported to Mexico, his wife, Rosa Lopez, said.
Miguel, a husband and father of three U.S. citizens, was detained by immigration officials more than two weeks ago while reporting to a regular appointment at the San Francisco Immigration Court.
He was deported to Tijuana on Saturday, June 7, without his passport or other crucial documentation needed to prove his citizenship, his wife said, who flew out to Mexico with their 17-year-old. The Mercury News reported that Lopez's deportation came a few hours after U.S. District Court Judge Trina Thompson ordered federal authorities to keep Lopez in the country, according to court filings.
'I cry every day, every night before I go to bed,' Rosa told the Chronicle in a phone interview Friday morning.
'It's just hard. I asked him, 'Do you see yourself living here?' and he's like, 'No, my home is back in California.''
Rosa said Miguel, 46, called her last Friday from Golden State Annex in MacFarland, where he was being detained, to let her know that federal immigration officers told him 'to grab his stuff' because he was being deported. She said Miguel was not told where he was being sent. They initially thought he was being sent back to the Bay Area because he was granted a temporary restraining court order to remain in the U.S., Rosa said.
It wasn't until the following morning, on Saturday, that Miguel called Rosa from a migrant shelter in Tijuana, she said. Rosa flew out to Mexico the next day to meet up with him in Mexico City.
Rosa said Miguel has a court appointment in San Francisco in two weeks. Until then, the couple is in limbo, trying to figure out the next steps for their lives and where Miguel will live while in Mexico.
'On top of having to worry about paying rent for him here (in Mexico) and having to pay my stuff out there (in Northern California), it stresses me out,' Rosa said, adding that Miguel was the primary breadwinner in their household.
Lopez and three others were some of the first taken from the federal building while actively and legally attending immigration court, advocates said. Since Lopez's detention, ICE arrests at immigration courts have continued with more frequency, prompting protests and uproar from immigration advocates. On Tuesday, the immigration courts in San Francisco and Concord abruptly shut down amid intense protests.
Miguel came to the United States when he was 18, and got married in 2001, Rosa said. She immediately filed paperwork for Miguel to obtain permanent residency, a necessary step before pursuing citizenship.
But after 24 years, Miguel and his wife were still working through various courts and legal actions to secure his immigration status, she said. Rosa and the rest of their family are American citizens, she said.
President Donald Trump and immigration officials have faced criticism for expedited deportations, including that of a Maryland man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to a prison in El Salvador but has not been returned despite court orders to do so.
ICE raids and detentions have prompted days of protesting in Los Angeles and across the country, with Trump ordering the National Guard to the city, further prompting uproar from demonstrators.
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