Did the Trump administration arrest and deport an 82-year-old Chilean legal immigrant in poor health to Guatemala? That was the stunning claim that appeared on Friday as several different press outlets repeated a report from The Morning Call, a local newspaper based in Allentown, PA.
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According to family members, who are the entirety of the sourcing on this, Luis Leon and his wife were allegedly arrested by ICE while the former was trying to replace his green card. Both were taken to a detention facility “without explanation.” After 10 hours, the wife was released, but Leon, who gained asylum in 1987, was kept in custody. That’s where the first oddity in this story emerges. Family members talking to the press first claimed he had died in custody. Now, though, they are saying he is at a hospital in Guatemala.