Jorge Garcia spent 30 years living in the United States thanks to multiple stays of removal during President Barack Obama’s two terms but was too old to qualify for DACA. This amount of time alone would have allowed Garcia to gain citizenship under any other circumstance, but not under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Garcia was ten years old when he arrived in the United States with his parents. He is now 40, married and has two U.S.-born children. The video depicting the family’s separation is heartbreaking.
His wife, his daughter and his son crowd around Garcia one last time while crying. Garcia holds them tight, kisses their heads and eventually builds up the courage to, escorted by ICE agents, walk away.
Protesters were holding up ‘Stop Separating Families’ signs are in the background as the mother and her daughter continue to shed tears while the son tries to keep a steady front.
After receiving an order to vacate, Garcia requested for ICE to wait until the new DACA legislation gets passed, but the agency denied his request. Garcia served as his family’s primary source of income, and worries they will have a tough time adapting to life without him there to support them.
He isn’t just scared for his family’s sake. Finding a new job and starting a new life in Mexico is an aspect he expressed fear about having to face. If DACA or a similar program does not get put into action, hundreds of thousands could be facing this same situation.
Garcia will not be allowed to reenter the United States for at least ten years.
This article was inspired by WSMV // After 30 years on American soil, Detroit immigrant deported to Mexico