Latest news with #deportation
CBS News
37 minutes ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Aurora woman visits husband at ICE detention facility, learns he was sent for deportation
An Aurora wife and mother is speaking out after learning her husband could be deported in the coming days, following a visit to the Aurora ICE detention center. "His life is on the line," said Alexandria Dowell, "and we have a daughter. She cannot see her dad anymore. What does that mean for us?" Ariel Cruz Penton and Alexandria Dowell with their daughter Alexandria Dowell Dowell, 27, met her husband, 34-year-old Ariel Cruz Penton, when she was vacationing in Miami roughly four years ago. Penton had already been living and working in the U.S. after fleeing Cuba as a political refugee. "My husband came to the U.S. about seven years ago. When he came to the border, he presented himself and pleaded political asylum," said Dowell. Penton's attorney, Carlos Dantes, tells CBS Colorado that federal agents coerced the Cuban migrant into signing documents that he didn't know would end his right to humanitarian parole after entering the U.S. That parole would've given him temporary permission to stay in the U.S., which is required under the Cuban Adjustment Act, while he filed for an asylum claim. Under this act, Dantes says his client would have eventually been granted residency. Instead, he received a deportation order. CBS Dowell says they have been actively fighting to reopen his case and get him a green card. They also filed for citizenship through their marriage nearly a year and a half ago. "We had our immigration meeting about three weeks prior to him being detained, and then we even had another one scheduled in the books," she said. "So, we had every reason to believe that we were going to be okay." Their worst nightmare became a reality on June 10. On the same date, thousands took to the streets across the country in anti-ICE demonstrations, and federal agents detained Penton while working. "I don't know if they were following him, how they found him, but three unmarked cars just came up, cornered their cars in, had him get out of the car and arrested him. And it makes no sense why someone with no criminal background or even a speeding ticket would need that much force to be taken and detained," said Dowell. "He works really hard, we pay our taxes, we also own a home and we're a family. We're married, I'm U.S. born, our daughter is U.S. born, so we have everything on paper that should help us through this process, and yet the system has failed us." "We are waiting to speak to another deportation officer, and seeing if we can get a hearing as soon as possible," said Dantes. On Friday, June 27, Dowell took CBS Colorado with her on her family's visit to the detention center to meet and speak with her husband. However, she was not prepared to find out Penton was not only removed from the facility that morning, but that he was already being scheduled for deportation. Ariel Cruz Penton and his daughter Alexandria Dowell "What am I going to do? That's my husband," said Dowell. "But I can't do anything, and I have to be strong for my daughter." Neither Dowell nor Dantes were notified about his removal from the facility, and it wasn't until after calling multiple detention facilities and Penton's detention officer, they finally learned he was sent to El Paso and is already on the list to be deported. "Him being detained is a matter of being at the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong set of documents," said Dantes. "Even though there is a petition on her behalf for him. But what we're seeing right now is that none of this matters." All the emotions Dowell has worked to suppress over the last few weeks have now reached a tipping point. "They said he'll be out of the U.S. today or tomorrow, and I'm like, where? He's a political refugee; you can't just take him. He's waiting for his credible fear interview," said Dowell. We asked ICE numerous questions about Penton's case, including why he was detained and why loved ones were not notified about his removal from the facility on Friday. A spokesperson told us they would need more time to answer those questions. "I just wish I could see him again," said Dowell. Dowell hopes her story will show others the reality of families like hers who are being ripped apart. "It feels like no one is safe at this point, and that's the scary part," said Dowell. Dowell and Dantes are still looking for ways to prevent Penton from being deported, especially to Cuba.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. to end TPS for Haitians on Sept. 2; Florida to feel brunt of Trump crackdown
Florida will feel the brunt of the June 27 Trump administration order to revoke Temporary Protected Status for half a million Haitians living in the United States as of Sept. 2, leaving them undocumented and at risk of deportation. Over 128,000 Haitians with TPS live in Florida and have jobs in health care, hospitality, agriculture and construction, industries already facing steep labor shortages. The Department of Homeland Security announced on June 27 that the current TPS designation for Haiti set to end on Aug. 3 will officially be terminated on Tuesday, Sept. 2. DHS argued conditions in Haiti had improved and no longer met the conditions to grant Temporary Protected Status, which allows people from specific countries to live and work in the United States and avoid deportation. Long troubled by poverty, political corruption and violence, Haiti is going though one of its worst moments of unrest, with gangs controlling many of the areas in the capital Port Au Prince. Most Haitians in the United States say they don't have a safe place to return to if they have to go back to the Caribbean nation, which is 750 miles from Miami. 'They are hopeless': Haitian immigrants face deportation to violence, poverty they fled Temporary Protected Status is a humanitarian designation given to people from specific countries that are suffering from armed conflict, a natural disaster or other "extraordinary and temporary" conditions that make returning home unsafe. President Barack Obama extended it to thousands of Haitians in the wake of the 2010 earthquake. It allows people covered by it to live and work in the United States, but they are not considered permanent residents, nor do they have a pathway either to permanent residency or citizenship. In order to obtain TPS, immigrants must pass a full background check and they may not have any previous felony convictions or two or more misdemeanors. Having Temporary Protected Status allows people to get a driver's license and receive a Social Security number, a requirement to work legally in the United States, and to file taxes, but they do not have access to any federal public benefits, including Social Security benefits. The designation prevents people from being deported to their native countries. About one-third of all 1.1 million TPS holders live in Florida, of which 59% are Venezuelan and 35% are Haitians, according to a 2024 report by the federal government. Many Haitian TPS holders have lived in the Sunshine State for over a decade. They have jobs as nurses in hospitals and in senior living facilities; as cooks servers and cleaning staff in restaurants in hotels; as farm workers in the fields; and as day laborer in construction sites. Many of them are now parents to U.S.-born children. Some are homeowners and others run small businesses. According to the DHS order, all 500,000 Haitians with TPS living in the United States would loose their legal status and their ability to work. Without TPS, they can also be deported to Haiti. The decision is the latest blow from the Trump administration to Haitians living in the United States. On May 30, DHS moved to end a humanitarian parole program for half a million immigrants including 210,000 Haitians. Parole is granted to people dealing with persecution or family or medical emergencies. They need a sponsor in the United States who can support them financially. This month, Trump announced a travel ban to and from Haiti, along with several other nations. Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Greenacres, Palm Springs and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@ and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ValenPalmB. Support local journalism: Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: U.S. to end TPS for Haitians on Sept. 2; More than 128,000 affected
Fox News
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump's crackdown nets over 2,700 alleged members of notorious Venezuelan gang
Federal authorities have arrested more than 2,700 alleged members of Tren de Aragua (TdA), the notorious Venezuelan gang that has come to define the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration and mass deportation program, since President Donald Trump took office, officials said Friday. Attorney General Pam Bondi noted the arrests during a White House press briefing when she was asked if an undocumented baby would be an immigration enforcement priority. Bondi responded by saying violent illegal immigrants are prioritized for deportation. "Let me put it in perspective: Today marked the 2,711th arrest in our country of TdA members," she said. "Everyone in this room agrees that they are one of the most violent criminal organizations in the world." Bondi blamed the large numbers of criminal illegal immigrants in the country, as well as letting TdA gain a foothold in the U.S., on the Biden administration's lax border policies. The Trump administration has designated the gang as a terrorist organization, which Trump has used to allow the speedy deportation of its members under the Alien Enemies Act, which has been challenged in the courts. "You should all feel safer now that President Trump can deport all of these gangs and not one district court judge can think that they're emperor over this administration and his executive powers," she said Trump standing nearby. Unknown in the United States until recent years, TdA has been involved in several high-profile crimes and terrorizing a Colorado apartment complex.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
US soldier's son, born on Army base in Germany, is deported to Jamaica
(KTLA) — A man born to an active-duty member of the United States military on an Army base in Germany in 1986 before coming to the states as a child was deported last week to Jamaica, a country he's never been to, according to a report by The Austin Chronicle. Jermaine Thomas, whose Jamaican-born dad became a U.S. citizen during his 18-year military career, spent much of his early life moving from base to base with his father and mother, the latter a citizen of Kenya at the time of his birth. At 11 years old, after his parents' divorce and his mother's second marriage to another soldier, he went to live with his father, who had since retired, in Florida. Unfortunately, his father passed away in 2010 from kidney failure shortly after Thomas had arrived. Much of his life after that, The Chronicle reported, was spent in Texas, homeless and in and out of jail. It's unclear when exactly Thomas was first ordered to leave the country, but court records from 2015 show a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court, in which the U.S. Department of Justice argued that he was not a citizen simply because he was born on a U.S. Army base in Germany. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the DOJ, upholding the U.S. Court of Appeals decision and denied Thomas' petition for a review of the deportation order, saying in part that 'his father did not meet the physical presence requirement of the statute in force at the time of Thomas's birth.' The court also noted Thomas' prior criminal convictions, one for domestic violence and two 'crimes involving moral turpitude.' Without U.S., German or Jamaican citizenship, Thomas was stateless, though he remained in the states, most recently living in Killeen, a city about an hour north of Austin. Army vet, Purple Heart recipient, self-deports after 48 years in U.S. He told The Chronicle that deportation to Jamaica started with an eviction from his apartment. While moving his belongings out of the apartment, he was arrested by local police on suspicion of trespassing, a misdemeanor in Texas. Told by a court-appointed lawyer that he'd likely stay in jail for the better part of a year while waiting for a trial, Thomas, who had lost his job while in lockup, signed a release agreement with certain conditions, but instead of being released from Bell County Jail, he was transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention camp just north of Houston, where he was detained for two and a half months. Now in Kingston, he told The Chronicle he's living in a hotel, though he's unsure who is paying for it, the U.S. or Jamaican government, and does not know how long he'll be able to stay there. Unsure how to get a job or if he's even allowed, Thomas added that he's unsure if it's even legal for him to be in the country at all. 'If you're in the U.S. Army, and the Army deploys you somewhere, and you've got to have your child over there, and your child makes a mistake after you pass away, and you put your life on the line for this country, are you going to be okay with them just kicking your child out of the country?' Thomas said in a phone call with the outlet's reporter. Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to The Chronicle's request for comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump admin reaffirms Abrego Garcia won't go free in the US: 'Horrific crimes'
Print Close By Cameron Arcand Published June 27, 2025 Top Trump administration officials maintain that Kilmar Abrego Garcia will continue to go through the legal system in the United States before he is deported again, as the administration maintains he will not walk free in the U.S. Abrego Garcia's lawyers successfully asked the judge on Friday to keep him behind bars to avoid any possibility of an immediate deportation, according to NewsNation. However, the plan is to try Abrego Garcia in the U.S. on the Tennessee-based human smuggling charges before deporting him, according to the Department of Justice. And if he is convicted, the White House says he will spend time behind bars in the U.S. before being deported. JUDGE SETS STRICT CONDITIONS FOR ABREGO GARCIA'S RELEASE AS TRUMP OFFICIALS PURSUE CASE AGAINST HIM "This defendant has been charged with horrific crimes including trafficking children and will not walk free in our country again," DOJ spokesperson Chad Gilmartin told Fox News Digital in an email. The White House further clarified the Executive Branch's stance following an Associated Press report on the comments from federal prosecutors about possibly deporting him to a third country sooner. "This is fake news. Abrego Garcia was returned to the United States to face trial for the egregious charges against him. He will face the full force of the American justice system - including serving time in American prison for the crimes he's committed," White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson said in an X post. RETURNED SALVADORAN MIGRANT KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA ARRAIGNED ON FEDERAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING CHARGES IN TENNESSEE DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the 29-year-old will not be freed in the U.S. at any point. "Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a dangerous criminal illegal alien. We have said it for months and it remains true to this day: he will never go free on American soil," she wrote. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Abrego Garcia, who was living in Maryland, was deported to El Salvador amid accusations of being an MS-13 gang member, as it is a designated foreign terrorist organization. He then spent time detained at the country's terrorism confinement center. While detained in the country, it sparked a political firestorm in which Democrats raised concerns about due process, with Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-M.D., even meeting with him in the Central American nation. During his El Salvador detainment, past records alleging domestic abuse surfaced, as well as reports that he allegedly had taken part in human smuggling, which ultimately led to the federal charges brought forth earlier this month that resulted in his return to American custody. DEMOCRATS CELEBRATE RETURN OF SUSPECTED HUMAN TRAFFICKER KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA "Abrego Garcia has landed in the United States to face justice," Attorney General Pam Bondi said at the time. "A grand jury in the Middle District of Tennessee returned a sealed indictment charging him with alien smuggling and conspiracy." However, critics blasted the charges as a political move. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "After weeks of the Trump administration saying they either couldn't or wouldn't return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the US, the timing of these charges are clearly designed to cover up their negligence and the fact that the Supreme Court unanimously called them out on the egregious ways they are ignoring due process," the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition said in a statement at the time. "Still, Mr. Abrego Garcia will now be able to have his day in court, which The Constitution guarantees for everyone in our country regardless of citizenship." Print Close URL
