San Diego immigration worker receives email ordering him to 'self-deport'...but there's a major issue
A San Diego immigration lawyer and longtime resident was stunned to receive a notice ordering him to 'self-deport immediately,' despite his US citizenship.
Aldo Martinez-Gomez received the notice from the Department of Homeland Security on April 11, allowing him seven days to leave the United States.
Yet, the immigration lawyer was born in San Diego County and has lived in the South Bay for most of his life.
'I was born in Paradise Valley Hospital in National City, and I was raised my whole life in Chula Vista,' he told Fox 40.
However, he received the intimidating letter which said: 'If you do not depart the United States immediately, you will be subject to potential law enforcement actions that will result in your removal from the United States.'
His letter featured the same menacing warning as many others have, which said: 'Do not attempt to remain in the United States - The federal government will find you.'
But the letter filled Martinez-Gomez with anxiety and fear, as he works full-time at a non-profit which helps people in immigration court.
'Where do you want me to go? I was born in National City. I was raised in San Diego County my whole life,' he told the outlet.
The intimidating letter was received by a man who had been born in the US and had lived in the South Bay for most of his life. The letter has struck fear and anxiety into him, even though he is not in the country illegally
'When I represent people in immigration court, there's always an ICE office nearby. Will I be detained when I represent a client at a hearing? Will they come to my house?'
A DHS official said in a statement to the outlet that at times notices may be sent 'to unintended recipients.'
'CBP used the known email addresses of the alien to send notifications. If a non-personal email - such as an American citizen contact - was provided by the alien, notices may have been sent to unintended recipients,' the senior official said.
Yet, it hasn't calmed Martinez-Gomez's anxieties as he makes preparations if he should be deported.
'I've had to make contingency plans with my mom, something I never thought I'd have to do,' he said.
'I've been protecting myself and talking to people and doing interviews. I'm not seeking fame or attention. I just want to bring light to this issue because I'm not trying to be one of the government's mistakes.'
However, Martinez-Gomez was not the only lawyer to receive the alarming letter that day.
Carmen Bello, 43, was one of two lawyers in Boston to discuss receiving the email on that April morning after it ordered her to 'depart the United States immediately.'
The letters they were sent came from the Department of Homeland Security, informing them that their 'parole' was terminated.
Bello, however, became a US citizen in 2007 and has been practicing immigration law for 14 years, the Boston Globe reported.
The letter threatened that she would be subject to criminal prosecution, civil fines and penalties if she didn't leave 'immediately.'
She was also informed that her parole, and any work authorization as a consequence, would terminate in seven days.
'You are currently here because the Department of Homeland Security parole you into the United States for a limited period,' the letter, sent at 2:05 am, said, according to the Globe.
'DHS encourages you to leave immediately on your own. You can use the CBP Home mobile app on your phone to make arrangements for your departure,' the letter continued.
Bello told DailyMail.com she initially assumed the email was intended for one of her clients, but it included no case information or inclusion of her name.
She said she 'realized the email was sent in error and was likely connected to a client's application for humanitarian parole.'
'Unfortunately, this type of mistaken notification is not uncommon and has been received by numerous individuals who have been paroled by the Department of Homeland Security,' Bello added.
She strongly encouraged anyone who did receive the 'alarming' email to seek legal advice before taking any action.
American citizen Nicole Micheroni was equally stunned when she opened the letter from the Department of Homeland Security on Friday morning.
The Newton-born attorney initially assumed the email titled; 'Notification of Termination of Parole' was for one of her clients.
'Do not attempt to remain in the United States — the federal government will find you.'
'It took me a couple of minutes to realize it was sent to me, instead of someone I represent,' Micheroni said.
The DHS has since confirmed the email was sent in error.
'I never took DHS's scary-sounding notice that I had 7 days to leave the country too seriously, because it was obviously some kind of mistake,' Micheroni added. 'But what about the people the emails were actually aimed at?'
The email was one of many sent as part of the Trump administration's mass deportation plans, according to Sarah Sherman-Stokes, associate director of the Immigrants' Rights and Human Trafficking Clinic at Boston University School of Law.
She said the letters were predominantly sent to asylum seekers who were using the Biden-era CPB one app, which allowed them to schedule hearings and appointments.
President Trump immediately axed the program upon taking office, leaving thousands of people scrambling for legal ways to pursue their asylum claims.
The DHS has since said that more emails may have been incorrectly sent to US citizens if their details were used on CPB one applications.
'[Customs and Border Protection] is monitoring communications and will address any issues on a case-by-case basis,' the statement said.
But Micheroni said she is still perplexed over how she ended up receiving the email.
'The system doesn't let you include an attorney's contact info, so we still have no idea how I ended up on the list,' she added.
'CBP One was converted to "CBP Home," an app that "helps" immigrants "self-deport".
'Revocation of parole isn't the same as a deportation order, and this email does not initiate deportation proceedings. Anyone who has received this may still have options and should talk to an immigration lawyer now.'
As part of the migration crackdown, the Trump administration had sought to deport hundreds of thousands of people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela by ending legal humanitarian protections granted under Biden.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said more than 500,000 people from the four countries would be given until April 24 to leave.
However, the initiative suffered a setback earlier this month after a judge blocked the order.
During a hearing, US District Judge Indira Talwani repeatedly questioned the government's assertion that it could end humanitarian parole for the four nationalities.
She argued that immigrants in the program who are here legally now face an option of 'fleeing the country' or staying and 'risk losing everything.'
'The nub of the problem here is that the secretary, in cutting short the parole period afforded to these individuals, has to have a reasoned decision,' Talwani said, adding that the explanation for ending the program was 'based on an incorrect reading of the law.'
'There was a deal and now that deal has been undercut,' she said later in the hearing.
DHS previously stated that the recent deportation push does not extend to Ukrainian and Afghan war refugees who have been granted a temporary special status.
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