This Father Has Lived In The United States Since He Was Ten Years Old. Now, He Has Been Deported Back To Mexico For Being Too Old.

Too Old

Jorge Garcia is 39-years-old. A relative brought him to the United States from Mexico 30 years ago. This father-of-two is now too old to be considered for DACA, Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Because of this, his fate was decided, and he was sent back to his native land, Mexico, on Martin Luther King Jr. day.

No Privacy

Garcia was forced to say goodbye to his family in Detroit while two immigration agents stood nearby. It was truly a heartbreaking scene.

Saying Goodbye

Garcia had known for a few months that this is what was going to happen, but it did not make saying goodbye any easier for him or his family. Garcia was visibly upset as he held tight to his wife, Cindy Garcia, and his two children, 15-year-old Soleil and 12-year-old Jorge Jr. in a tearful goodbye.

Why?

The real question here is why are innocent, law-abiding people, who have been living in the United States since they were children, being deported back to a country that they hardly know. In Garcia's case, he is too old to qualify for DACA. The program allows children who were brought to the United States by undocumented immigrants to live and work in the country if they are under the age of 16 at the time of arrival and were born after June 15, 1981. Jorge is too old to make the cut.

Trump's fault

Jorge's whole ordeal began several years ago. His family had been jumping through hoops to find a way for Jorge to stay in the United States legally. His family blames Trump for their current situation because of his overly strict enforcement of the country's immigration laws.

"You have destroyed my life. There’s nothing I can do about it," Cindy Garcia said, directing her grief at Trump. "We get a new president and this is what he does, tears my family apart. I hope everybody is happy."

Model Citizen

He had a steady job as a gardener and has never committed any crimes. He was a model citizen. In 2005, he and his wife, who is an American citizen, started trying to secure Jorge's legal status. In 2009, he was told that he should expect deportation, but the Obama administration granted the family more time together so they could come up with a more permanent solution.

The Crackdown

When Trump's administration came along and started cracking down on immigration, Garcia was officially ordered to return to his homeland of Mexico. Jorge has not lived in Mexico since he was a small child and only has one relative that still lives there. ICE agents were kind enough to allow Jorge to spend one last Christmas with his family before he would be shipped back across the border.

Leaving

The night before Jorge was deported he said that he was sad that he was not going to be able to be with his family. He also said, "I got to leave my family behind, knowing that they’re probably going to have a hard time adjusting, me not being there for them for who knows how long. It’s just hard." He even added that he was going to have a hard time adjusting as well.

Sad Situation

What makes this story so sad is that if Jorge had been just a few years younger, he would have been eligible for DACA and could have stayed with his family. Instead, his family is being torn apart and being forced into a tough situation even though Jorge was a model citizen. The man has lived and worked nearly his entire life in the United States and is being forced to go back to a country that he does not call home while being yanked away from the loving arms of his wife and children. We hope that his family finds the support that they need and are able to figure out a way to bring Jorge home for good.