Deported: Lincoln Park Man Forced To Leave Family, Home

LINCOLN PARK, MI – As a 10-year-old boy, Jorge Garcia came with his family from Mexico to the United States. On Monday – Martin Luther King Jr. Day – Garcia, at the age of 39, tearfully parted with his wife and two children and was deported back to Mexico.

Garcia, according to multiple media reports, filed regularly with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and sought extensions that would enable him to stay in the United States. The landscaper has no criminal history, yet he was forced to leave under stricter immigration rules imposed under the Trump administration.

Garcia's wife, Cindy, along with their two children – all legal U.S. citizens – saw their father off at the Detroit Metro Airport on Monday, according to the Detroit News. A crowd of supporters gathered, too, according to the newspaper report.

Garcia began facing orders to leave the country dating back to 2009, according to a report by CNN. He had received multiple extensions under the Obama administration. However, as the issue of undocumented illegal immigrants became an issue during the 2016 presidential election, it became apparent his time in the United States was running short.

In November, he was told he would have to leave on Jan. 15. His story garnered national attention on Monday as a video of his tearful goodbye with family circulated on social media. Cindy Garcia, his wife, told CNN, that she hopes her husband's story leads to a positive change.

"Yes, he was brought here at 10 years old and yes, he entered the country illegally, but he has no criminal record and his case needs to be looked at individually because he deserves to be here in a country that he's known -- not Mexico," she said.

File photo by Paul Sancya/AP Photo