A Southern California couple that came to the United States without authorization some 35 years ago, raised three daughters, were deported to Colombia earlier this week, according to media reports. Nelson Gonzalez, 59, and his wife Gladys Gonzalez, 55, of Orange County, originally entered the states near San Ysidro before ultimately settling in Laguna Niguel and starting their family. Nelson worked as a phlebotomist, and Gladys was a housewife. Neither had any criminal record. The couple were detained on Feb. 21 during a routine immigration check-in as part of ongoing nationwide mass deportation efforts, while Gladys was initially granted an extension, hours later, a different agent arrested both her and Nelson. “This official was cruel,” said Stephanie, one of their three daughters. “They arrested my dad first and then called my mom in and arrested her too.” According to their daughters, Gabby, 23, Jessica, 33, and Stephanie, 27, all U.S. citizens: “They were put into handcuffs by their wrists and ankles and treated as criminals before getting to these detention centers. “All they said is they extended their stay, even though every year they’ve had permission to be here and they’re law-abiding citizens who show up and are doing their duty to check in with immigration and say, ‘Hey I’m here. I’m not hiding or doing anything wrong.’ Then they just arrested them like that.” They told KTLA reported The Gonzalez were originally held at the Adelanto Detention Center in San Bernardino County before being transferred to a facility in Arizona and later Louisiana. Following their parents’ arrests, the Gonzalez daughters created a GoFundMe to help Gladys and Nelson rebuild their lives in Colombia. In an update posted to the official page on March 20, the daughters thanked donors for their support and confirmed their parents arrived in Colombia together. “We are thankful this nightmare is over, while at the same time grieving the reality that our parents will not be coming home anytime soon. Our goal now is to help them prepare for their new lives in Colombia and do whatever we can to bring them back home in the future,” the three daughters said. “We never expected to receive so much generosity from kind friends, family, and strangers… Our parents deserve the world and if people wanted to give financially to help our parents, we weren’t going to say no. So again, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.” Stephanie told The Register that though her parents have been traumatized by everything that’s transpired, they are grateful to no longer be in detention centers and have made contact with family in Colombia who are helping them start a new life. The two younger sisters, Gabby and Stephanie, are currently living with Jessica and her husband in Newport Beach. They all plan to visit their parents within the coming weeks. Family members also acknowledged they’re one of many who have been affected by President Donald Trump and his administration’s goal of ramping up arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants throughout the U.S. Trump began his crackdown on immigration immediately after beginning his second term in office. During his first week in office, Trump signed 10 executive orders on immigration and issued a slew of edicts to carry out promises of mass deportations and border security.
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