Tuesday, April 18, 2017

First Active DREAMer Deported Under Trump Administration


Sadly, we all saw this coming.

A 23 year-old male, who was brought to the U.S. when he was age 9 by his parents, was deported within hours after being detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents.

And so, Manuel Montes becomes the first undocumented immigrant with active DACA status to be deported.

From USA Today:

Federal agents ignored President Trump's pledge to protect from deportation undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children by sending a young man back to his native Mexico, the first such documented case, a USA TODAY examination of the new administration's immigration policies shows.

After spending an evening with his girlfriend in Calexico, Calif., on Feb. 17, Juan Manuel Montes, 23, who has lived in the U.S. since age 9, grabbed a bite and was waiting for a ride when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer approached and started asking questions.

Montes was twice granted deportation protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program created by President Barack Obama and left intact by President Trump.

Montes had left his wallet in a friend's car, so he couldn't produce his ID or proof of his DACA status and was told by agents he couldn't retrieve them. Within three hours, he was back in Mexico, becoming the first undocumented immigrant with active DACA status deported by the Trump administration's stepped-up deportation policy.

"Some people told me that they were going to deport me; others said nothing would happen," Montes told USA TODAY in his aunt and uncle's home in western Mexico where he's been staying. "I thought that if I kept my nose clean nothing would happen." He asked that the exact location of their home be withheld.

You have to ask, why wouldn't the CBP officers let him retrieve his wallet to prove his active DACA status?

Montes suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was young which contributed to learning disabilities. But thanks to special ed courses, he graduated from high school in 2013, and has been taking welding classes.

In January, President Trump speaking to ABC News about DREAMers, "They shouldn't be very worried. I do have a big heart."

I think all registered DACA immigrants should be VERY worried. This isn't done yet.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.