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Mother says son was wrongfully deported

The mentally ill man is a U.S. citizen, she says.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published June 18, 2007


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TIJUANA, Mexico - Clutching a photo of her son, Maria Carvajal walks Tijuana's streets searching for the mentally disabled man she says was deported more than a month ago despite being a U.S. citizen and then disappeared in this chaotic border city.

Carvajal, 49, says she has searched hospitals, shelters and jails looking for her 29-year-old son, Pedro Guzman of Lancaster, Calif., who was jailed for a misdemeanor trespassing violation, then sent to Mexico on May 11.

Guzman's relatives sued the Department of Homeland Security and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department last week in federal court, saying Guzman was a U.S. citizen and had been wrongfully deported and demanding that U.S. authorities help find him.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Guzman had been deported and said the agency had done so correctly. Officials at the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana say they have made calls to help search for Guzman.

The lawsuit says Guzman was asked about his immigration status in jail and responded that he was born in California of Mexican parents. The Sheriff's Department identified him as a noncitizen and turned him over for deportation.

[Last modified June 18, 2007, 01:00:59]


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by dave 06/18/07 11:21 AM
the la sheriff did not error in the hilton case, what he did was to make the judge responsible in the event tha any harm came to ms hilton because of her supposed health issues. had he kept her locked up and erred,he would never hear the end of it $$
by dave 06/18/07 11:13 AM
it is the feds / ICE that deported him, not the sheriff
by Truth 06/18/07 07:27 AM
"If this proves to be true"? I hope it is, and now with the mother out of the country we are two less, now lets get rid of all the other bean and rice eaters and we can cut crime by at least 40 percent. We are far better off without them.
by Gilbert 06/18/07 05:31 AM
If this proves to be true, the this is another bad mess up for the LA County Sherriff in less than 2 weeks: first, it was the Paris Hilton debacle, now it is alledgedly wrongful deportation. Sherriff Baca's leadership needs to be thoroughly examined.
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