Young NY brothers detained by ICE during routine check-in, deported: ‘I don't know nobody’
NY brothers detained by ICE during routine check-in, deported
Brothers Jose and Josue, who fled El Salvador in 2016 to escape gang violence, were recently deported back. They were detained by ICE during a routine check-in, despite having spent significant time in the U.S., where they celebrated milestones and built a life. FOX 5 NY’s Jodi Goldberg shares the brothers’ story of their fight to return home to Long Island.
NEW YORK - Two brothers from Long Island, Jose and Josue Trejo Lopez, have been deported to El Salvador despite having lived in the U.S. for nearly half their lives.
Their family is fighting for their return, highlighting their pending petitions for special immigrant juvenile status.
Jose and Josue Trejo Lopez speak about their experience getting deported.
Pathway to a green card
What we know:
Jose and Josue fled El Salvador in 2016 with their mother, Alma, to escape gang violence. They built a life in the U.S., celebrating milestones like birthdays and graduations.
Recently, they were deported back to El Salvador, a country they once fled. The brothers have pending petitions for special immigrant juvenile status, which could provide them a pathway to a green card due to their father's abandonment.
Jose and Josue Trejo Lopez speak to reporters and lawyers
‘I wanna be with my mom’
What they're saying:
In a Zoom interview, Jose shared, "I called my mom around 530, and I tell her, 'We're going to be deported. The plane is outside. They’re going to put shackles on us, and I'm letting you know it's happening.'"
Josue expressed his isolation, saying, "I don't know nobody, I don't go out, I'm always just sitting, sad because I wanna be with my little brother, I wanna be with my mom."
The brothers' attorney, Ala Amoachi, criticized their treatment.
"To take these children and to treat them in such an inhumane and cruel manner and then to remove them when they still have relief pending is a disgrace to our country," Amoachi said.
Timeline:
The brothers were detained during a routine check-in at the New York field office in March.
They were held in federal detention centers in Buffalo and Louisiana before being deported on May 7, just two weeks before Josue's high school graduation.
Alma, their mother, remains in Georgia with Josue’s cap and gown hanging on the wall.
Alma Lopez keeps her son Josue's graduation gown hanging in her home.
She pleads for their return.
"I asked they have another opportunity to return to this country because they are good people," she told FOX 5 NY's Jodi Goldberg.
Local perspective:
Republican Rep. Andrew Garbarino (NY-2)’s office is aware of the situation and has been in contact with ICE.
What's next:
Jose and Josue hope to pursue careers as mechanics or welders.
Jose worries, "I’m worried they're going to stop our dreams that we had," while Josue adds, "We did nothing bad - we always followed the law and I don’t understand why it happened."
The family and their attorney continue to fight for their return.
The Source: This article uses reporting from FOX 5 NY's Jodi Goldberg, who interviewed sources and reached out to Rep. Garbarino's office.