Luis Leon, 82-Year-Old Latino Grandfather, Sent to Guatemala Without Explanation After Green Card Appointment in Pennsylvania

Luis Leon, 82-Year-Old Latino Grandfather, Sent to Guatemala Without Explanation After Green Card Appointment in Pennsylvania

Luis Leon, an 82-year-old grandfather who lived in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is recovering from pneumonia in a hospital in Guatemala City. His family says he was allegedly removed from the United States by immigration authorities without warning, legal explanation, or access to communication. According to Pennsylvania’s third largest newspaper, The Morning Call, Leon was placed in handcuffs at the Philadelphia immigration office on June 20 while attempting to replace a lost green card. His granddaughter Nataly, who asked that her last name be withheld, said he was then transported over two days to a detention center in Minnesota before being sent to Guatemala.

Leon, who fled Chile in 1987 to escape the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, had lived in the United States for decades. Until this month, he remained a legal resident. His family says he was never given the opportunity to appear in front of a judge before being removed.

Family Describes Days Without Answers About Luis Leon and Claims of Mistaken Identity

The account of what happened to Leon has left relatives with more questions than answers. According to Nataly, Leon’s wife accompanied him to the Philadelphia immigration office but was separated from him without explanation. She spent ten hours in a room before being released to family members and told nothing about his whereabouts. The family says no government agency contacted them to explain the reason for his detention or where he was being taken.

Leon later told his granddaughter that immigration officers took away his phone and refused to provide any information. While being transported with others by bus, he was reportedly addressed as “Mario,” a name he does not use. When he demanded clarification, Leon says officials told him he had no rights in the United States.

The confusion deepened in the days that followed. A woman claiming to be an immigration attorney contacted the family but offered no details, then later called to falsely inform them that Leon had died. The family was unable to reach her again. Eventually, a Chilean government contact told Leon’s brother that Leon had been transferred to Minnesota, and then to Guatemala, though it remains unclear which agency provided that information.

Questions Remain About Due Process

As of Friday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that the incident is under internal investigation but declined to share further details, including whether Leon had been present at the Philadelphia office or had ever been scheduled for a deportation hearing.

Guatemalan authorities said they had no official record of Leon’s arrival. The Guatemalan Institute of Migration stated it had not received any individual matching Leon’s name, age, or nationality through regular deportation channels and confirmed that no South American national matching his identity had been processed through their system. Deportees are typically received at La Aurora Air Force Base in Guatemala City and sent to temporary shelters, yet there is no public record of Leon entering through that procedure.

Leon’s family does not know where he stayed between his arrival in Guatemala and his current hospitalization. He has been receiving treatment for pneumonia and continues to suffer from diabetes, atrial fibrillation, and high blood pressure. Nataly says he appears deeply affected by the experience and remains physically weak. For now, she says he hopes to recover in Guatemala and be reunited with his wife, though he no longer plans to return to the United States.

Data Shows Many in Detention Have No Criminal History

According to federal immigration data collected by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, 71.5 percent of individuals held in immigration detention as of mid-July have no criminal convictions. That figure represents 40,643 out of 56,816 people detained. These findings raise further concerns about the enforcement priorities and legal processes being applied, especially when cases involve older individuals or legal residents.

Leon’s family says he has never had legal trouble and had no reason to believe his visit to replace a green card would end in his removal from the country. Until he was able to call them from a hospital bed in Guatemala, they feared he was dead.

As he continues to recover, the full story of what happened to him remains under investigation, but for the Leon family, the damage has already been done. They now face the challenge of rebuilding their lives in a new country, far from the one they once called home.

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