Inclusion Daily Express -- L.A. Family Says U.S. Immigration Wrongly Deported Son

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L.A. Family Says U.S. Immigration Wrongly Deported Son
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
June 14, 2007

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA--A judge rejected a plea on Wednesday to order the U.S government to search for a Los Angeles man with intellectual disabilities whose family says was illegally deported to Mexico.

The family of 29-year-old Pedro Guzman sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in federal court on Monday. They and the American Civil Liberties Union contend that Guzman was serving time in an L.A County jail for misdemeanor trespassing when authorities questioned him about his citizenship. Even though he told officials that he was born in California, they transported him to the border with Mexico and let him out at Tijuana, the family said.

Family members said they received a brief phone call from Pedro on May 11 stating that he was in Tijuana, but the call was disconnected before he could say exactly where he was. They say he cannot read, does not remember his entire telephone number, and gets lost easily.

Members of the family have told local news sources that they spent their savings to travel to Mexico to look for Pedro. Now, they want U.S. immigration and Mexican law enforcement officials to help search for him.

According to the Los Angeles Times, U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson declined to issue such an order, saying that he not only did not want to go down that "adversarial path", but also that he was not sure he has the authority to do so.

He did ask federal attorneys to update him on what is being done to locate Pedro.

"I feel my government has let me down. I know it has failed him as well," said Pedro's younger brother Michael. "All we want is our brother back."

Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said they had no reason to believe that the law was not followed, or that Pedro's rights were violated.

Related:
"Judge won't order search for developmentally disabled deportee" (Orange County Register)
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/state/article_1729005.php

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