The Gold Star widower who was deported and then returned to the U.S. by the Trump administration recalled that as many as half a dozen Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, “with guns drawn,” swarmed his car to arrest him in the dawn hours. The dad, who has no criminal record, was on his way to work. Three days later, he was dumped in a country he had not visited in 15 years.
Jose Gonzalez Carranza spoke out about his ordeal, expressing disbelief at how he could be so cruelly targeted after his wife gave her life in service of her country. Army Pfc. Barbara Vieyra was killed in Afghanistan a decade ago. She was just 22. "’I feel bad because President (Donald) Trump says he wants to help’ people who fight for the country,” the Arizona Republic reported, “’but then why does he want to kick people out when his wife sacrificed,’ Gonzalez Carranza said.”
But in fact ICE intentionally targeted this dad, reopening his case last year even though he’d had permission to stay here following Vieyra’s death. Gonzalez Carranza said he never got the notice to appear in court because ICE mailed it to the wrong address, and his failure to appear then triggered his deportation. But according to his attorney, “Gonzalez Carranza shouldn't have been deported because on the day he was arrested, he filed a motion to reopen his case, which triggered an automatic stay of removal.”
Gonzalez Carranza lived at a shelter for deported U.S. veterans as he waited for word about any chance to return to the U.S. That came when his attorney, Ezequiel Hernandez, sent out a news blast, with subsequent reporting leading to widespread outrage. ICE won’t admit it, but it was publicly shamed into returning him to the U.S. ICE remains responsible, because Gonzalez Carranza could still be vulnerable to deportation. “If the judge reopens the case, Hernandez will ask for his parole in place to be reinstated.”
But Gonzalez Carranza is most concerned about his daughter, 12-year-old Evelyn. "It's been hard for her growing up without her mother," he said. "It's been completely hard." Evelyn’s grandparents share joint custody of the girl with her father, so she was with them while Gonzalez Carranza was gone. The girl has not yet been told about what happened to her dad. "I didn't tell her nothing. I don't want to make … her feelings be more frustrated, like I don't have a mom, and now I may never see my dad again."
“I think the new president, the only thing he wants to do is deport people for no reason,” he continued. “I know there are bad people in America, good people in America. But he only thinks, if you are illegal, you are going out. He never thinks about what happened with the families ... or if the people contribute to his country to be better."