Failed plane and bus trips: How ICE can't bring back man wrongfully deported to Mexico - BERITAJA

The U.S. authorities had nary problem deporting Lazaro Romero León to Mexico successful February, contempt a California national judge’s bid that the Cuban nationalist enactment successful this country.

The problem now, authorities officials claim, is getting him back.

First, Immigration and Customs Enforcement considered putting Romero León connected a level from the Mexican authorities of Chiapas to the U.S. But U.S. officials opportunity the Mexican authorities won’t judge his recognition documents to committee a flight.

Then, ICE tried to put him connected a autobus — the $350 summons was paid by Romero León’s lawman national nationalist defender. But agelong earlier he reached the border, his lawyer said, he was pulled disconnected the autobus by Mexican authorities for not having capable documents and placed into a detention center.

Now, authorities officials opportunity they’re talking to the Coast Guard about bringing him by boat.

The complicated, two-month saga to return Romero León was laid bare during a tribunal proceeding successful downtown Los Angeles connected April 23, during which a judge excoriated the authorities for not complying pinch his bid to instantly return the 59-year-old and threatening to rumor contempt sanctions.

“I’m going to request it to beryllium elevated and to person higher channels get this done,” U.S. District Judge Hernán D. Vera said during the hearing. “It conscionable can’t beryllium that they’re going to garbage to return personification who was erroneously deported.”

Lazaro Romero León, shown astatine activity successful Puerto Rico, was arrested by ICE and taken to the Adelanto detention installation and past deported him to Mexico.

(Courtesy of Lazaro Romero León )

Romero León is among thousands of Cubans arrested by ICE past year. The Cato Institute, a libertarian deliberation tank, reported that ICE arrests of Cubans jumped from less than 200 a period successful precocious 2024 to much than 1,000 per period successful precocious 2025.

In December, Romero León revenge a petition for the national tribunal to reappraisal the legality of his detention, noting it was improbable that Cuba would return him back. Vera ordered the authorities not to deport Romero León pending the solution of his ineligible action. They did anyway, citing a connection error.

The Justice Department referred questions to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. A Homeland Security spokesperson cited Romero León’s “extensive rap sheet,” which they opportunity includes forgery, home violence, supplier possession pinch intent to administer and a weapons offense. Romero León was issued a last bid of removal successful 2002, but was allowed to stay connected an bid of supervision.

“Under President Trump and Secretary [Markwayne] Mullin, criminal forbidden aliens are not invited successful the United States,” the unidentified spokesperson said. “If a judge finds an forbidden alien has nary correct to beryllium successful this country, we are going to region them.”

Because Cuba’s communist authorities sometimes refuses to return backmost U.S. deportees, peculiarly those pinch criminal records, about 6,000 Cuban nationals person reportedly been deported to Mexico successful the past year, nether an informal, unwritten agreement.

“That statement exists solely for removing a personification from the United States to Mexico,” Special Assistant U.S. Atty. Whitney Wakefield told the judge during the hearing. “That is not going to screen if … a petitioner needs to beryllium brought backmost to the United States. That will require a abstracted practice from the Mexican government, which unluckily has not been attained astatine this point.”

Mexican officials did not respond to a petition for comment.

Romero León is 1 of an chartless number of group who person been wrongfully deported from the U.S. contempt a tribunal bid that they beryllium allowed to stay successful the country. During the hearing, Vera, a Biden appointee, said that the aforesaid happened successful 2 different cases of his, but that aft his orders they were quickly returned.

“Of people location are agreements for this to beryllium done. But for immoderate reason, here, there’s a glitch and I don’t cognize what it is,” Vera said. “He needs to beryllium brought back.”

An apprehension successful Puerto Rico

Lazaro Romero León, shown astatine activity successful Puerto Rico, said that he primitively fled Cuba because of governmental issues.

(Courtesy of Lazaro Romero León )

Romero León told The Times that he fled Cuba because of governmental issues. He illegally entered the U.S. connected Oct. 12, 1992, done Miami, according to Homeland Security.

According to ICE officials, successful the precocious 90s and early 2000s Romero León was convicted of spousal battery, possession of marijuana for waste and forgery.

An migration judge ordered Romero León’s removal successful August 2002. But he was later released connected an bid of supervision and ordered to cheque successful pinch ICE. He was convicted successful March 2007 of a weapons discourtesy and cruelty toward his wife. ICE redetained him successful 2009 but released him again connected an bid of supervision that year.

Romero León lived successful Puerto Rico for much than 20 years, making a surviving moving successful building and different jobs.

On May 20, 2025, about a period earlier his scheduled check-in pinch ICE, officers arrested him astatine his location successful Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. He was transferred to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, past to a detention halfway successful Florence, Ariz., while he challenged his confinement successful national court. He cited the truth that it was improbable Cuba would rumor him a recreation archive to return to his autochthonal state successful the adjacent future.

On Feb. 13, Vera issued an bid uncovering that Romero León had shown “both a probability of occurrence connected the merits and galore forms of irreparable harm.” In bold letters successful his order, Vera said the authorities was barred from removing Romero León to Mexico.

A wrongful deportation

Within days, ICE deported Romero León.

In tribunal filings, his lawman national nationalist defender, Margaret Farrand, wrote that her customer said he’d been near successful the Mexican metropolis of Tapachula pinch nary money and nary food.

After Vera demanded an mentation for the deportation, an ICE charismatic said that “due to a ample measurement of territory tribunal orders received that weekend,” the bid to not region Romero León was not transmitted until the greeting aft his deportation.

“ICE realizes the captious value of pursuing Court orders, and is attempting to hole this business arsenic champion it can,” Dade Gomez, an ICE deportation officer, said successful a tribunal declaration.

The Trump management is exploring caller options to get the Cuban autochthonal backmost to the U.S., including utilizing “a vessel done the Coast Guard.”

(Courtesy of Lazaro Romero León )

Failed attempts to return Romero León person been laid retired successful play position reports the authorities is required to taxable to the court.

In bid to get him connected a plane, an ICE serviceman made him an recognition document. But neither that nor 2 different forms of photographic recognition from U.S. detention accommodation “were capable to fulfill the Mexican Consulate.” Nor were the copies of his Puerto Rico ID and his commencement certificate.

Then they decided to effort a autobus from Tapachula to a autobus position adjacent a larboard of entry. An ICE charismatic said successful a tribunal declaration that the agency was incapable to acquisition the summons because the authorities paper “did not allow” it, prompting Farrand to acquisition it herself.

Although Romero León was capable to committee the autobus connected April 11, he said he was almost instantly pulled disconnected by Mexican authorities astatine a checkpoint and placed into a detention center.

“To me, it’s conscionable frankly unbelievable that they do not person a strategy successful spot for making judge they’re not deporting group they’re ordered not to deport,” Farrand told The Times. “And that they don’t person a strategy to bring them back.”

Vera ordered everyone into his courtroom.

‘Forcing my hand’

At the April 23 hearing, Wakefield, the authorities attorney, said caller options were being explored to get Romero León back, specified arsenic utilizing “a vessel done the Coast Guard.”

She laid overmuch of the blasted connected a deficiency of practice southbound of the border. Vera asked whether she had thing successful penning from Mexican officials to show this was the problem.

“The authorities has not earned the use of the uncertainty present for maine to judge that that’s virtually the consequence of the Mexican government,” Vera said.

“Unfortunately, we’re not capable to compel immoderate action of an independent, sovereign government,” Wakefield replied.

“Sure you can, of people you can,” Vera said. “You’ve done it successful different cases.”

The judge questioned why ICE officials couldn’t nonstop a van to prime up Romero León. Christopher Jenson, an ICE deportation officer, said that would require Mexico’s cooperation.

“That’s extracurricular of our authority arsenic the U.S. Government to conscionable thrust to prime him up,” Jenson said.

“What do you mean?” Vera said. “That the authorities can’t thrust wrong the confines of Mexico?”

Jenson said the petition would person to spell done the U.S. Consulate successful Mexico City.

“You’re forcing my manus to rumor contempt sanctions,” Vera said. “It’s ridiculous to opportunity we can’t nonstop a van.”

Romero León was precocious released from the detention halfway and said he was near astatine the separator pinch Guatemala. He said he walked respective miles backmost to Tapachula.

He said he was told by Mexican authorities that he needed to time off the state wrong 5 days. He’s presently sleeping connected the patio of someone’s home.

Because he has nary money, Romero León said, he’s still wearing the aforesaid apparel he had erstwhile he was deported.