A Southern California couple who built their lives in America for more than three decades have been forcibly returned to a country they barely know.
According to NewsNation Now, Nelson Gonzalez, 59, and his wife Gladys Gonzalez, 55, were deported to Colombia this week after living in the United States without authorization for approximately 35 years, leaving behind their three American-born daughters and a newborn grandson.
The Orange County couple originally entered the United States near San Ysidro before settling in Laguna Niguel where they raised their family. Despite numerous attempts to secure legal status through various appeals to immigration authorities and courts, the couple's efforts ultimately proved unsuccessful.
The couple's daughters – Gabby, 23, Jessica, 33, and Stephanie, 27 – were devastated when their parents were unexpectedly detained during what should have been a routine check-in with immigration officials on February 21.
Stephanie Gonzalez expressed outrage at her parents' treatment during their arrest.
They were put into handcuffs by their wrists and ankles and treated as criminals before getting to these detention centers. All they said is they extended their stay, even though every year they've had permission to be here and they're law-abiding citizens who show up and are doing their duty to check in with immigration and say, 'Hey I'm here. I'm not hiding or doing anything wrong.' Then they just arrested them like that.
Neither Nelson nor Gladys has any criminal record, according to family members.
After their arrest, the couple was initially held at the Adelanto Detention Center in San Bernardino County before transfers to facilities in Arizona and later Louisiana.
The Gonzalez sisters now face the challenge of maintaining their family bonds across international borders. Gabby and Stephanie are currently living with their older sister Jessica and her husband in Newport Beach.
The daughters plan to visit their parents in Colombia within the coming weeks. Despite the trauma of detention and deportation, family members report that Nelson and Gladys have made contact with relatives in Colombia who are helping them establish a new life in their country of origin.
The Gonzalez case unfolds amid the Trump administration's intensified focus on arresting and deporting undocumented immigrants throughout the country.
An ICE spokesperson told The Orange County Register that the couple had "exhausted all legal options to remain in the U.S. between March 2000 and August 2021," and were ultimately found to be in violation of immigration law.
The family acknowledges they are among countless others affected by current immigration enforcement priorities.
Nelson and Gladys Gonzalez, who entered the United States without authorization approximately 35 years ago, were deported to Colombia earlier this week after being detained during a routine check-in with immigration officials. The couple, who raised three American-born daughters and recently welcomed a grandson, had repeatedly sought legal avenues to remain in the country but ultimately exhausted all options according to immigration authorities. Their daughters plan to visit them in Colombia as the family adjusts to their new reality under the Trump administration's expanded deportation efforts.
