Gladys Gonzalez and Nelson Gonzalez have been living in the United States for nearly four decades, after arriving from Colombia in 1989. The couple settled in California, raised three daughters, leading Bible studies at church and volunteering at food pantries during the Covid-19 pandemic.
However on 21 February, their American dream came to an abrupt end.
The couple, both in their 50s, were arrested and handcuffed during a routine check-in at an immigration court in Santa Ana, something they had done regularly since 2000. This time, they were placed in federal custody, detained for three weeks, and then deported to Colombia.
“They did expect that they would need to depart and were planning to do so, but not in the way that it happened,” said Monica Crooms, an immigration attorney who has represented the couple since 2018.
Their daughter, Stephanie Gonzalez, said the deportation was unjust.
“For nearly four decades, they have built a life here — raising three daughters, giving back to their community, and recently welcoming their first grandchild,” she wrote on a GoFundMe page.
“Now, they are being treated as criminals.”
She further added, “We’ve been able to raise $65,000 to help my parents rebuild their new life in Colombia but also to pay for the best attorneys so that one day they can come back.”
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the couple entered the US without visas in 1989 and later sought asylum, fleeing the drug violence that plagued Colombia at the time. However, in 2000, an immigration court ruled that there was no legal basis for them to stay and issued a voluntary departure order.
Instead of leaving, the couple spent decades trying to find a legal way to remain. They were victims of fraudulent immigration attorneys, some of whom were later disbarred. They spent thousands of dollars on legal counsel, hoping for a path to citizenship, but each attempt was denied.
Under US law, those with deportation orders can sometimes remain under an order of supervision, which allowed Gladys and Nelson to stay in the country for years, checking in annually with immigration authorities. But in recent years, the pressure to deport individuals with long-standing removal orders has increased.
A sudden goodbye
Crooms said that ideally, the couple would have been given time to prepare for their departure, settle their affairs, and say a proper goodbye to their family. Instead, they were taken into custody with no warning.
“We had to go and pick up their car from the parking lot and didn’t get to say goodbye,” Stephanie said.
Crooms had accompanied Gladys and Nelson Gonzalez to their annual immigration check-ins. However, this year, the couple attended without her. She said, “I don’t know why they didn’t call me. I think they just really felt like everything has been fine in the past.”
She emphasized that individuals under orders of supervision should be prepared for the possibility of apprehension and removal during such check-ins. Crooms also advised both undocumented immigrants and permanent residents to exercise extreme caution when traveling.
Their detention was further delayed due to a bureaucratic mishap as ICE lost their passports, and the Colombian government had to issue new travel documents.
Gladys and Nelson are now back in Colombia, a country they haven’t lived in for more than 35 years. Their daughters are doing what they can to support them, raising over $65,000 to help them rebuild their lives and fund legal efforts to bring them back.
Under US law, the couple is now barred from returning for at least 10 years.
“The amount of people being detained and put into these places is absolutely heartbreaking and I hope this administration would realize the detrimental affect this will have on so many American families,” Stephanie said.
