Former Trump golf club worker accidentally deported due to ICE error

Alejandro Juarez’s lawsuit exposes terrible procedural lapses wrong the US migration system, aft officials accidentally deported him crossed the confederate borderline earlier realising the mistake.

The 39-year-old begetter of four, erstwhile employed astatine Donald Trump’s play nine successful New York, is present astatine the centre of a contention that has drawn crisp scrutiny of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

A regular check-in that went southbound

Alejandro Juarez, 39, had lived successful the United States since helium crossed the confederate borderline from Mexico astatine the property of 16. Over the adjacent 2 decades, helium built a beingness successful Yorktown, Westchester County, New York, with his wife, Maria Priego, and their 4 children.

His eldest son, aged 20, serves successful the US Marines; each 4 children are American citizens. Juarez was detained connected 15 September aft reporting for what was meant to beryllium a regular check-in astatine ICE’s Manhattan offices astatine 26 Federal Plaza. He had attended specified appointments earlier without incident. This time, aft officers reviewed his file, helium was abruptly placed successful custody portion his woman waited extracurricular successful the car. According to The New York Times, Juarez was transferred to Delaney Hall, a detention installation successful Newark, New Jersey. Four days later, ICE agents placed him connected a autobus to Newark Liberty International Airport, wherever helium was meant to committee a formation to a detention centre successful Arizona. Internal ICE emails aboriginal reviewed by The Times amusement that instead, helium was placed connected the incorrect flight, bound for Texas, adjacent the US-Mexico border.

When Juarez landed successful Texas, officers unshackled him, handed him a tiny container containing his phone, loop and documents, and instructed him to transverse a span implicit the Rio Grande into Mexico. As helium walked, helium thought astir his woman and children waiting successful New York. A motion speechmaking “Bienvenidos” welcomed him backmost into the state helium had near 22 years earlier.“And that’s however my travel successful the United States ended,” Juarez said tearfully during a telephone interrogation with The New York Times from Mexico.

ICE realises the mistake

Within hours of his forced removal, ICE officials successful the United States began scrambling to find him. Internal communications obtained by The New York Times uncover a flurry of disorder arsenic agents realised Juarez had been placed connected the incorrect craft and erroneously expelled from the country. They began contacting detention centres and facilities crossed aggregate states to find his whereabouts. Under national migration law, astir individuals facing deportation are entitled to a proceeding earlier a justice — a measurement that Juarez was denied.

ICE’s actions, according to ineligible experts quoted by The Times, apt violated national procedure. At the clip of Juarez’s scheduled migration proceeding connected 25 September, his lawyer, Anibal Romero, appeared earlier the court. But Juarez was already successful Mexico.“This is unprecedented successful my 20 years of practice, an idiosyncratic being removed without immoderate hearing, leaving adjacent the tribunal and D.H.S. confused,” Romero told The New York Times. When Juarez phoned his lawyer from Mexico, Romero instantly informed the tribunal and ICE representatives. He aboriginal told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that the mishap was “careless” but not malicious.“Right present I’m moving with the Department of Homeland Security, and recognition to them, this is the archetypal clip I’ve heard that they’ve acknowledged it’s a mistake,” Romero said connected CNN. “They’re trying to bring him back. It’s precise uncommon for them to say, we made a mistake. They usually conscionable say, excessively atrocious he’s undocumented.” A DHS spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, confirmed to The New York Times that ICE had contacted Juarez’s lawyer and was “making arrangements to alert him backmost to the United States.”

She added that Juarez would stay successful ICE detention until his migration lawsuit is resolved.“The extremity effect volition beryllium the same, helium volition not beryllium capable to stay successful the U.S. and volition beryllium removed pursuing the completion of his proceedings,” McLaughlin said successful her connection to The Times, describing him arsenic a “threat to the public” due to the fact that of a erstwhile driving offence.

A beingness upended and a household successful limbo

Juarez’s accidental deportation has near his household struggling to cope.

From their location successful Westchester County, Maria Priego present works arsenic a maid and the sole breadwinner for their 3 youngest children, aged 10, 12 and 16.“It’s been precise hard due to the fact that we depended a batch connected my husband,” Priego told The New York Times. “We’re bittersweet and devastated for what my hubby has gone through, and waiting for immoderate bully quality from our lawyer.” Since returning to Mexico, Juarez has been surviving successful Puebla, much than 500 miles from the border, staying with his parents and helping his ageing begetter workplace the household land.

He spends his days calling his children.“My 10- and 12-year-old children inquire maine connected the phone: ‘When are you returning, Papi? We miss you. We can’t beryllium without you,’” he said. Juarez had worked for much than a decennary astatine Trump National Golf Club Westchester, wherever helium served arsenic a server and nutrient runner. He was dismissed successful 2019, during Donald Trump’s archetypal term, erstwhile respective undocumented workers astatine Trump properties were terminated. His dismissal was antecedently documented by The Washington Post. In caller years, Juarez worked aggregate jobs, arsenic a edifice attraction technologist and arsenic caput of landscaping and attraction for 2 backstage residences successful Westchester. His 2022 condemnation for driving portion intoxicated with a kid successful the car placed him connected ICE’s radar, according to The Times. Although helium was sentenced to 3 years of probation and avoided jail, ICE began requiring him to be periodic check-ins. Until September, those had passed without issue; helium said immoderate ICE officers had adjacent thanked him for attending and praised his English skills.

Broader signifier and ineligible fallout

Juarez’s lawsuit has revived concerns implicit the expanding deportation machinery and interior unit astatine ICE. The Times reported that officials wrong the bureau had described being overstretched, with policies driven by elder White House advisor Stephen Miller, who had reportedly pushed for arsenic galore arsenic 3,000 arrests per day.“People marque mistakes, and I deliberation that’s wherefore this needs to stop. It’s becoming chaos,” Romero said connected CNN. A akin incidental occurred successful March 2025, involving Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who was wrongly deported to El Salvador. After judges reversed that “illegal” deportation, Garcia was returned to the United States, lone to aboriginal look quality trafficking charges, to which helium has pleaded not guilty. According to The New York Times, a 2022 DHS civilian rights bureau study had already warned of specified errors, citing the lawsuit of different antheral deported to Guatemala earlier a last removal bid had been issued.

The study urged ICE to make a strategy for rectifying mistaken deportations. Former ICE main counsel Kerry Doyle, who served during the Biden administration, told The Times that Juarez’s lawsuit was unsurprising fixed existent conditions:“Because the measurement of detentions is truthful precocious and radical are truly stretched bladed successful the enactment that they’re doing, it’s not shocking oregon astonishing that this benignant of mistake could happen,” she said. For now, ICE says Juarez volition stay detained erstwhile helium is returned to the US, pending a caller hearing. His lawyer, Romero, told some CNN and The Times that Juarez whitethorn suffice for “parole successful place”, a peculiar benignant of alleviation for contiguous relatives of US subject work members, a presumption tied to his eldest son’s relation successful the Marines. After 2 decades of sending wealth location to physique his parents’ location successful Puebla, Juarez present finds himself surviving determination again — this clip not by prime but by the unit of a bureaucratic blunder.