Gladys and Nelson Gonzalez, a couple who had resided in the US for 35 years, were deported, leaving a Southern California family in ruins. The abrupt decision by the US authorities has left their three kids, who were born in the US, shocked and devastated.

Gladys Gonzalez, 55, and Nelson Gonzalez, 59, were taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on February 21. After being detained for three and a half weeks, they were sent back to their home country, Colombia, on March 18, as reported by CNN. The couple first arrived in the US in 1989, near San Ysidro, California. Over the years, they built a life there, raised three daughters, and became part of their community. According to their daughters, the couple always followed immigration rules, attended regular check-ins, and took legal steps to stay in the country.

On a GoFundMe page for the family, their daughter Stephanie Gonzalez wrote, "They have built a life here for nearly four decades— raising three daughters, giving back to their community, and recently welcoming their first grandchild." “Now, they are being treated as criminals,” the daughters said, explaining their parents' treatment as "cruel and unjust". “This cruel and unjust situation has shattered our family emotionally and financially. Every day they remain detained is another stolen from their family, community, and their home,” the daughters said. According to immigration attorney Monica Crooms, who has been assisting the couple, the Gonzalezes spent years looking for a way to become citizens. They always paid their taxes and never had any legal issues.

“They were looking for a way to legalise their status in the way that was available to them at the time in the ’90s. Unfortunately, they fell victim to predatory immigration practices that were pretty flagrant,” CNN quoted Crooms as saying. Crooms criticised the way the couple was deported, saying they weren’t given enough time to settle their affairs or say goodbye to their daughters and grandchildren. According to the Customs Enforcement department, the Gonzalez couple had used up all their legal options to stay in the U.S. between March 2000 and August 2021. Officials explained that Nelson Gonzalez had applied for asylum in 1992, but the case was closed in 1998. A voluntary departure order was then issued in 2000.