Deported OC couple with no criminal record transported 'like animals,' daughter says
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Stephanie Gonzalez said her parents were arrested and detained on Feb. 21 after a routine supervision appointment. That day, Gladys Gonzalez was initially granted a one-year extension to stay in America, prompting her daughter to think that "everything's gonna be fine, like it always is."
A few hours later, however, Nelson Gonzalez called to inform the family he was being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and that Gladys' extension was revoked and she was being detained as well.
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ICE confirmed to ABC News that Gladys and Nelson Gonzalez do not have criminal records and have been deported to Colombia.
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Stephanie Gonzalez said her parents were transported to detention facilities in different states without knowing where they were going and that she and her sisters had no way of tracking them, calling it "a mess."
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Nelson and Gladys Gonzalez came to America in 1989, seeking asylum from violence in Colombia, their daughter said.
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Stephanie Gonzalez confirmed that her parents were faced with a voluntary deportation day in 2000, but she added that they subsequently spent over 20 years filing appeals. Though her parents' cases were closed in 2021, Stephanie Gonzalez said they were instructed simply to continue showing up to their supervision appointments and check in with the appropriate authorities.
During these supervision visits, Nelson and Gladys Gonzalez consistently got approved to stay in the U.S., though the time frame almost always varied, she continued.
"Sometimes, they would get three months. One time, they got one month. One time, I think they got almost three years where they didn't have to appear before immigration," Stephanie Gonzalez recounted.
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Nelson Gonzalez was a certified phlebotomist who drew blood and conducted life insurance exams, his daughter said. He was also a part-time Uber driver, even working overnight to make extra money, with Stephanie Gonzalez emphasizing what immigrants like her parents "contribute to society."
She expressed a desire for the public to change the narrative around immigrants, emphasizing that her parents are "hardworking people. ... They've paid taxes. They've raised us three to follow the law. ... They love America."
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She noted that she feels "devastated" to hear "so many parents being taken from their kids, families being separated and broken apart."
"That is something that should break people's hearts," she said.
Stephanie Gonzalez says she and her family have endured "heartbreak" since the deportation of her parents, 55-year-old Gladys and 59-year-old Nelson Gonzalez.
abc7.com