Dad deported after he thought he was retrieving lost wallet says ICE 'didn’t even let me hug my son'

Gabe Ortiz

Daily Kos Staff

Friday October 19, 2018 · 12:43 PM PDT

2018/10/19 · 12:43

Screen_Shot_2018-10-19_at_12.37.10_PM.png — Flavio Musmanno

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Flavio Musmanno, the undocumented immigrant who thought he was retrieving a lost wallet from a “Good Samaritan" when in fact he was getting lured by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, is struggling following his deportation to his native Argentina last week.

”They didn’t even let me hug my son,” the dad told Univision Noticias from Mar de Plata, where he was now living with his elderly mother and other relatives. He continued: “They killed me … I’m sorry,” he said, breaking down into tears and burying his face in his hand, too overwhelmed to go on.

Just days ago, Musmanno was in Ohio doing construction work when he received a call that his lost wallet had been found, and agreed to meet with the caller at a truck stop. But it wasn’t a kind stranger, it was ICE. The dad, who had been living in the U.S. for nearly 20 years, had no criminal record, and was in the process of adjusting his immigration status through his U.S. citizen wife, was thrown into detention.

Musmanno had been so cautious about his undocumented status, that he had even missed his own dad’s funeral out of fear he wouldn’t have been able to return to the U.S. But now back in Argentina, it was a bittersweet reunion for Musmanno and the rest of his family. He hadn’t seen his mom since 2005.

“I wanted to see him come back triumphantly,” she said. “They sent him back like a dog, like a criminal. My son is not a criminal.” Musmanno said he’d never even gotten a parking citation. He told Univision Noticias that he thought Donald Trump was targeting dangerous people, not hard workers like him. But Trump is a liar, and it’s people like Musmanno who are suffering for his lies. According to Univision Noticias, his future remains uncertain. Even if things proceed in his favor, it could be as long as two to three years, at the least, before he’s able to return to the U.S.

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