Luis Paez
By JACQI LEYVA-HILL
Special to the NEWS
A Valley family is pleading for answers after a local man with a purported valid work permit, according to his wife, was detained at the Sarita checkpoint and then deported to Mexico the next day, an action his spouse says violated his due process rights.
According to Jennifer Paez, the man’s wife, her husband, Luis, received his federal work permit and Social Security card about a year ago. She said immigration officials told them the permit would protect him from deportation for four years while his U visa application was being processed, and that he was allowed to travel within the United States for work.
The couple moved to the Rio Grande Valley from Indiana to be closer to his family and grow their self-employment activities. Paez said her husband used his work authorization to start a business registered in Texas and helped launch a nonprofit that provided food and clothing to families in need.
“He’s never been in trouble in his life other than a speeding ticket,” Paez said, adding that he was brought to the United States as a young child and has lived here most of his life. The two have been together for 15 years.
But last week, she said, everything changed.
Paez said her husband was stopped at the Sarita checkpoint while returning from work. Despite showing his valid federal documents, she alleges he was detained, denied access to his attorney, and not allowed to appear before a judge.
“Per Homeland Security and immigration guidelines, if someone has been in the country for more than two years, they have rights, they have the right to see a judge and the right to speak to their attorney,” she said. “They denied him those rights. They fast-tracked him.”
According to Paez, her husband repeatedly said he wanted to see a judge and refused to sign any voluntary removal paperwork. The following day, she said, he was put on a transport with other detainees and deported to Mexico.
His attorneys, she said, believe that reversing the action may be difficult unless the family sues the facility for denying him due process.
Paez described the emotional and practical challenges the family now faces because of his absence. She mentioned that her husband was the primary caregiver for their two grandchildren and for her.
Jennifer Paez suffers from several medical conditions, including seizures and pseudotumor cerebri, which she says make it unsafe for her to be alone.
“My family is not coping very well at all,” she said. “He is my sole caretaker, and he was doing everything right to try to get his citizenship.”
She said their grandchildren miss him deeply, and the separation has placed significant emotional and financial strain on the household.
A U visa is a type of immigration relief designed to protect victims of certain qualifying crimes who cooperate with law enforcement. People waiting for a U visa decision often get temporary work authorization and, following federal rules, are usually protected from deportation while their applications are pending—a process that can last several years.
Paez said her husband is currently awaiting a decision on his U visa application and believes the work permit he received provided temporary protection from removal.
Paez said what she hopes for now is accountability and awareness.
“I want to make this story big,” she said. “If someone has committed crimes, then deportation is what it is. But for people who haven’t done anything wrong, who have valid work permits, valid Social Security cards, who are doing everything right, this shouldn’t be happening.”
She said her husband’s pending U visa application, which she believes should have protected him from removal, adds to her confusion and frustration about the process at the checkpoint.
Paez said she is now trying to raise funds to hire an attorney who can challenge the deportation or pursue legal action against the facility she believes wrongfully denied her husband due process.
“I just want to fight this, but I need the resources to get a good lawyer,” she said. “Anything people can do to help share our story means so much to us.”
She said that community members who want to reach her directly can contact her at Jennytluis8188@gmail.com.
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