Speech #1100173942

I am going to tell just a few stories today. but there are plenty of others similar to them. Last year. a 30yearold mentally impaired man named Pedro Guzman. who was born and raised in southern California. was detained on misdemeanor charges and scheduled to be released. He is a U.S. citizen. but somehow his accent. his name. the color of his skin must have convinced immigration authorities otherwise. So instead of returning him to his home. they decided to deport him to Mexico. Even after immigration authorities realized their horrible mistake. they made no significant effort to correct it. Pedro attempted several times to cross the border home to the United States. of which he is a citizen. and was repeatedly turned away. He was forced to wander the streets of Tijuana. eating out of trash cans to survivea U.S. citizen. His mother Maria was worried beyond belief and took off time from her job to search for Pedro. Finally. 3 months after he had been illegally deported. Pedro found his way home. When he came back. his mother said after so much trauma. only half her son had returned.