A former employee of one of Donald Trump’s golf clubs was forced to walk back across the U.S.-Mexico border after being put on the wrong plane and mistakenly deported by ICE.
Alejandro Juarez, 39, pleaded with officials, and told them he had not been given the opportunity to contest his deportation in front of an immigration judge – a legal entitlement for such detainees – as he was forced back to his home country earlier this month.
Juarez, a father of two, had been in the U.S. since the early 2000s and worked as a server and food runner for more than a decade at the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester, New York, according to The New York Times. He was reportedly fired from the job during Trump’s first presidency, along with other undocumented immigrants employed at the president’s various clubs.
Juarez was arrested on September 15, after showing up to a check-in appointment at the ICE offices in Manhattan, despite having attended multiple similar appointments previously.
It comes as the Trump administration continues to become embroiled in sprawling legal battles in federal courtrooms across the country, with immigrants and their advocates alleging they were illegally removed by authorities tasked with rapidly removing millions of people from the U.S.
Instead of being allowed an immigration hearing following his arrest, Juarez was held for four days before being taken by bus to Newark Liberty International Airport, where he was put on a plane with other ICE detainees.
Documents obtained by The NYT show that Juarez was meant to be flown to a detention center in Arizona, but instead was sent to Texas, near to the border. Once there he and his fellow detainees were handed bags of their belongings and told to walk back into Mexico.
Accounts of similar mishaps or unintentional deportations have occurred on multiple occasions, including the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to his home country of El Salvador in March – sparking a fierce and ongoing legal battle with the Trump administration.
After the “illegal” decision was reversed by judges, Garcia was returned to the U.S., only to be accused of human trafficking by the administration. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In the case of Juarez, the DHS appeared to acknowledge its mistake. Department spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told The NYT that ICE had recently contacted Juarez’s lawyer and that arrangements for his return to the U.S. were being made.
Juarez will be kept in ICE detention until the case is resolved, she said.
His lawyer, Anibal Romero, told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Thursday evening that the mishap was “careless” but not malicious.
“Right now I’m working with Department of Homeland Security, and credit to them, this is the first time I’ve heard that they’ve acknowledged it’s a mistake,” he said. “They’re trying to bring him back. It’s very rare for them to say, we made a mistake. They normally just say, too bad he’s undocumented.”
Romero added that the mistake was due in part to ICE agents and the DHS being overstretched by the extreme targets of White House Senior Adviser Stephen Miller – who has reportedly pushed for up to 3,000 arrests per day.
“People make mistakes, and I think that’s why this needs to stop. It’s becoming chaos,” Romero said.
According to the The NYT, a 2022 traffic offense had brought Juarez to the attention of ICE, but that he had complied with check-ins with the agency – even receiving thanks and compliments on his English from ICE officers.
Despite this, and as an indication of the ramping up of ICE detentions and deportations, he was detained.
“The end result will be the same — he will not be able to remain in the U.S. and will be removed following the completion of his proceedings,” McLaughlin said in her statement to The NYT, claiming that Juarez was a threat to the public because of the driving offense three years ago.
Romero said since his son is in the military, Juarez may be eligible for a special type of relief, known as “parole in place,” that can be afforded to immediate relatives of U.S. service members.
The Independent has reached out to the DHS for further updates on Juarez’s case.
