5 days ago
Migrant, 34, brought to US as a child accidentally self-deports after missing freeway exit near Mexico border
A migrant who came to America as a boy 20 years ago is set to be deported after accidentally missing an exit on the freeway in Southern California and winding up in Mexico.
Erick Hernandez, 34, of East Los Angeles, migrated to the US from El Salvador at 14 years old, making him eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), NBC San Diego reported.
DACA is granted to migrants who came to the US before turning 16 years old. It delays deportation so recipients can live and work in the country.
Hernandez, whose parents gained legal status in the US, was working on becoming legal after marrying his wife, who is an American citizen.
The couple had a daughter and are expecting a son in August.
Hernandez's family and attorney told NBC San Diego that he was working as a rideshare driver on June 1 when he missed a freeway exit in San Ysidro and found himself in Tijuana.
'And when that happened, he lost everything, basically,' his immigration lawyer, Valerie Sigamani, toldthe outlet.
DACA recipients need to apply for 'advance parole' to travel internationally and return to the US.
Erick Hernandez, 34, of East Los Angeles, migrated to the US from El Salvador at 14 years old
His wife, Nancy Rivera, is an American citizen. The two have a child together and are expecting their second
Since Hernandez didn't have prior permission to leave and return to the country, his DACA status was stripped when he crossed the border.
Now, he's being held at Otay Mesa Detention Center and undergoing an expedited removal deportation process to El Salvador.
She added that when Hernandez was approached by agents with Customs and Border Patrol (CPB), they offered to let him back into the country if he paid a bribe.
'One of the officials told him, "Well, if you pay us $800, we'll forgive everything, and we'll let you into the United States with no problem,"' his attorney said.
Hernandez assumed the payment was a part of a legal process, but didn't have enough cash with him.
The Daily Mail reached out to CBP and Sigamani for comment.
Sigamani said Hernandez is holding onto hope that he'll be able to return before his wife gives birth.
'He has a lot of hope. He feels like something good is going to happen. He's a person of faith,' she told NBC San Diego.
Hernandez missed a freeway exit in San Ysidro and found himself in Tijuana (file photo)
Since Hernandez didn't have prior permission to leave and return to the country, his DACA status was stripped when he crossed the border
Hernandez's lawyer said he is optimistic but fearful of deportation to El Salvador
Despite his optimism, she added that Hernandez lives in fear of returning to a country he hasn't lived in since he was a child.
As Hernandez awaits his fate in a detention center, his pregnant wife, Nancy Rivera, is caring for their child alone and working full-time.
She's concerned about making ends meet without him.
'I'm just worried that he's, if he gets deported, like, how I'm going to manage everything by myself,' she told NBC San Diego. 'It'' just a lot of, you know, stress, anxiety that I have.'
