Migrant, 34, brought to US as a child accidentally self-deports after missing freeway exit near Mexico border
Erick Hernandez, 34, of East Los Angeles, migrated to the US from El Salvador at 14 years old, making him eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), NBC San Diego reported.
DACA is granted to migrants who came to the US before turning 16 years old. It delays deportation so recipients can live and work in the country.
Hernandez, whose parents gained legal status in the US, was working on becoming legal after marrying his wife, who is an American citizen.
The couple had a daughter and are expecting a son in August.
Hernandez's family and attorney told NBC San Diego that he was working as a rideshare driver on June 1 when he missed a freeway exit in San Ysidro and found himself in Tijuana.
'And when that happened, he lost everything, basically,' his immigration lawyer, Valerie Sigamani, toldthe outlet.
DACA recipients need to apply for 'advance parole' to travel internationally and return to the US.
Erick Hernandez, 34, of East Los Angeles, migrated to the US from El Salvador at 14 years old
His wife, Nancy Rivera, is an American citizen. The two have a child together and are expecting their second
Since Hernandez didn't have prior permission to leave and return to the country, his DACA status was stripped when he crossed the border.
Now, he's being held at Otay Mesa Detention Center and undergoing an expedited removal deportation process to El Salvador.
She added that when Hernandez was approached by agents with Customs and Border Patrol (CPB), they offered to let him back into the country if he paid a bribe.
'One of the officials told him, "Well, if you pay us $800, we'll forgive everything, and we'll let you into the United States with no problem,"' his attorney said.
Hernandez assumed the payment was a part of a legal process, but didn't have enough cash with him.
The Daily Mail reached out to CBP and Sigamani for comment.
Sigamani said Hernandez is holding onto hope that he'll be able to return before his wife gives birth.
'He has a lot of hope. He feels like something good is going to happen. He's a person of faith,' she told NBC San Diego.
Hernandez missed a freeway exit in San Ysidro and found himself in Tijuana (file photo)
Since Hernandez didn't have prior permission to leave and return to the country, his DACA status was stripped when he crossed the border
Hernandez's lawyer said he is optimistic but fearful of deportation to El Salvador
Despite his optimism, she added that Hernandez lives in fear of returning to a country he hasn't lived in since he was a child.
As Hernandez awaits his fate in a detention center, his pregnant wife, Nancy Rivera, is caring for their child alone and working full-time.
She's concerned about making ends meet without him.
'I'm just worried that he's, if he gets deported, like, how I'm going to manage everything by myself,' she told NBC San Diego. 'It'' just a lot of, you know, stress, anxiety that I have.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
21 minutes ago
- The Sun
Desperate pictures show how NYC workers fought to protect themselves from active shooter in their office before 4 killed
DESPERATE pictures show how office workers tried to protect themselves from the gunman who stormed into a swanky high-rise building and killed four in a crazed rampage. Workers at the investment management company Blackstone stacked piles of furniture against the door as they sought shelter. 6 6 Crazed gunman Shane Tamura stormed the building 345 Park Avenue, which is also home to the NFL, killing his victims before turning the weapon on himself. Pictures obtained by the ABC affiliate WABC-TV showed furniture stacked on top of each other. Sofas and chairs were just bundled together as a barricade was created. Some staffers even used the wooden desks as defenses. Blackstone workers sent messages on Teams warning people not to go downstairs. Other staffers are said to have locked themselves in bathrooms as the shooter went on his rampage. Tamura, of Las Vegas, Nevada, traveled cross country as he made his way to New York City. The drive, which is more than 2,500 miles, takes approximately 37 hours. Tamura was reported driving through Colorado on Saturday, and Nebraska and Iowa on Sunday. Just two hours before the first 911 calls were reported, he was seen in Columbia, New Jersey - located around 70 miles from Midtown. Jessica Tisch, the New York Police Commissioner, said his car was then clocked entering New York City. He was armed with a rifle when he parked on Park Avenue before heading to the building. Tamura, who was sporting a bulletproof vest, shot dead police officer Didarul Islam before spraying the lobby with gunfire. Islam, from Bangladesh, was a married dad-of-two and his wife was pregnant with their third child. Timeline of NYC shooting A gunman stormed 345 Park Avenue in Midtown, Manhattan, on Monday night killing four before turning the gun on himself. Cops are now investigating why the suspect Shane Tamura carried out the brutal attack and have released a preliminary timeline and are tracing back through his movements. July 26 - Tamura drives through Colorado in his black BMW July 27 - Tamura drives through Nebraska and Iowa. He also doesn't show up for work as a security guard at a Las Vegas casino July 28, 6.28pm - Reports of the shooting are first made to NYPD. Tamura had moments earlier double parked his car and walked across a plaza into 345 Park Avenue Once inside, Tamura shoots off-duty officer Didarul Islam working as security dead He guns down a woman cowering behind a pillar as he sprays the lobby with bullets Tamura walks towards the elevators where he shoots dead a security guard crouching at his desk Gunman spares woman's life after she walks out of elevator in front of him He travels up to the 33rd floor to Rudin Properties' office and fires as he walks the floor killing one Tamura shoots himself in his chest ending his life and ending the rampage 7.52pm - NYC Police Commissioner Tisch posted on X: 'the scene has been contained and the lone shooter has been neutralized.' Tisch said Islam made the "ultimate sacrifice." "He died as he lived, a hero." Tamura shot dead an off-duty worker and killed a woman, who was desperately trying to shield herself behind a pillar. Cops revealed Tamura shot a security guard as he trooped over to the elevator bank. He then shot another man in the lobby. Tamura then took the elevator to the 33rd floor and killed one person. He then shot himself and died from the self-inflicted wound. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a Blackstone chief was among those killed. And, other staffers were hospitalized. Cops are still probing the motive behind the shooting. But, they found a loaded revolver,. rifle case, backpack and medication in his car. Cops also combed the car for explosives, but didn't find anything. Tamura was carrying a M4 style rifle, according to Tisch. Tamura, a former football player, is believed to have been carrying a note, sources told CNN. He claimed he had been suffering from the Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, commonly known as CTE. "You can't go against the NFL," the note reportedly said. "Study my brain please." Tamura's friends thought he wasn't capable of carrying out such a massacre. The shooting unfolded as swathes of staffers were about to head home and to bars and restaurants after work. One woman, Neikesha Lewis, had just had dinner with her friends when she saw the commotion, according to the Associated Press. "Help, help, help, I'm shot," she heard one man say as he scampered from a building. "It was like a crowd panic," Anna Smith, who sought shelter in a finance building, said. She and other staffers were inside for two hours before they were allowed to leave. 6 6 6 6
BBC News
21 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Hero' policeman died saving lives, say NYC officials after skyscraper shooting
A father who was a serving police officer is among four people who were killed in a shooting attack at an office building in a busy district of New York Islam, 36, was shot dead while providing security for the site on Park Avenue. Officials said he had migrated to the US from Bangladesh, had two children and was expecting a third with his pregnant wife. He died "a hero", they tribute to the late officer, New York Mayor Eric Adams said he was "doing what he does best... saving lives. He was protecting New Yorkers". Three civilians, two male and one female, were also killed, Adams said. Details about them have not been made public. Another man is in a critical condition. Full story: Four dead in shooting at New York City office building Suspected lone gunman Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old from Nevada, also died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said. He had a "documented mental health history", and his potential motive is unknown. Tamura is believed to have shot Islam dead first as he entered the skyscraper at 345 Park Avenue. He went on to attack others, ascending to the building's 33rd floor before turning his gun on himself.A post on the New York Police Department (NYPD) account on X said Islam "represented the very best of our department", and said "he was protecting New Yorkers from danger when his life was tragically cut short today".In a press conference on Monday, the city's Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the late officer served in the NYPD's 47th District, in the said: "He was doing the job that we asked him to do. He put himself in harm's way. He made the ultimate sacrifice." Tisch continued: "He died as he lived - a hero."During the conference, Adams said the late officer was "a true-blue New Yorker, not only in a uniform he wore but in his spirit and energy of loving this city". The mayor said he had met Islam's family after the attack, and had expressed his admiration for the late officer, who had served in his job for more than three years. "This was his dad's only son," the mayor reflected. "I think about Jordan, my child, and it is unimaginable to experience a loss of this magnitude."Members of Islam's Bangladeshi community in the Bronx spent Monday evening visiting the late officer's home, which he shared with his family and parents, the New York Times described to the newspaper how Islam had migrated to the US and provided security for a school before becoming a policeman. They said their friend had been an active member of his mosque who had mentored young men in the of Islam's mentees, Marjanul Karim, explained why Islam had moved from the school to work in a profession that was seen as less safe. "He wanted to leave behind a legacy for his family, something they could be proud of," Mr Karim said.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Police descend on New York City skyscraper after police officer and three others killed in Manhattan shooting
A police officer and three other people have been killed following a shooting at a skyscraper in New York on Monday (28 July). Eyewitness footage taken from a nearby hotel shows NYPD officers entering the office building located in Midtown Manhattan. The gunman, who also died from a self-inflicted wound, was identified by police as Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old from Las Vegas. Tamura is accused of walking into the lobby with an A4 assault rifle and 'spraying' ammunition inside, killing four including police officer Didarul Islam, a father of two whose wife is pregnant with a third child.
