Viral story about grandpa secretly ‘deported' to Guatemala by ICE, then found ‘dead' is hoax: feds
Luis Leon's family told reporters that the 82-year-old Chilean national had been handcuffed and taken away by federal officers when he went to a green card appointment in Philadelphia on June 20.
They then claimed they were told he had died in ICE custody — but then he turned up alive at a hospital in Guatemala.
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3 The viral story circulating that Luis Leon, 82, was secretly deported by ICE agents turns out to be a 'hoax,' according to Homeland Security (DHS).
Leon Family
The story, which was initially reported by Allentown outlet the Morning Call, before being picked up by lefty outlets including the Daily Beast, the Guardian and the Independent, was shut down by the Department for Homeland Security.
'ICE never arrested or deported Luis Leon to Guatemala. Nor does ICE 'disappear' people — this is a categorical lie being peddled to demonize ICE agents who are already facing an 830 percent increase in assaults against them,' DHS Assistant Press Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
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'This was a hoax peddled by the media who rushed to press without pausing to corroborate the facts with DHS. This was journalistic malpractice,' she said.
The DHS also said there is 'no record of the man appearing at any green card appointment in or around the area of Philadelphia' on June 20.
Leon's family told the reporter that he was sent to a Minnesota detention facility and that a woman claiming to be an immigration lawyer called them to say he had died in ICE custody and offered to help them, without disclosing how she knew about the case.
3 Leon's family told reporters he was taken away by officials in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after going to a green card appointment — but then he turned up alive at a hospital in Guatemala.
Paul Martinka
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They claimed they later found out he was in a hospital in Guatemala from a Chilean relative.
But the Guatemalan Institute of Migration, which coordinates with ICE on all deportations from the US, said it had not received anyone matching Leon's name, age or nationality, the Associated Press reported.
And while Guatemala has agreed to receive US deportees from other Central American countries, the agreement doesn't extend to South America.
3 The story of Leon's deportation circulated through many outlets before DHS shut down the story.
Leon Family
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Leon was granted political asylum in the US in 1987 and worked in a leather manufacturing plant for 40 years before retiring, the Morning Call reported.
However, ICE states its only record of Leon entering the US is in 2015 from Chile under a visa waiver program.
A death certificate matching Leon's name and date of birth from the Chilean capital of Santiago in 2019 was presented to the Morning Call by a Chilean journalist, Jose Del Pino.
The Morning Call published an updated story on Monday defending its reporting, saying its reporters 'repeatedly requested information from Ice during its reporting; an Ice spokesperson previously refused to confirm details, including whether or not Leon was even at the Philadelphia office, and said Monday that Ice investigators were not able to contact the family.'
Leon's supposed family told the Morning Call in a statement that they would no longer speak to the media and asked for privacy.
The Morning Call did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
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