A US citizen has shared a letter that he received from the White House, which was threatening to deport him.
Aldo Martinez-Gomez, a seasoned immigration attorney from San Diego and lifelong U.S. citizen, was left stunned after receiving a deportation notice from the Department of Homeland Security on April 11.
The letter gave him just seven days to vacate the country.
“I was born in Paradise Valley Hospital in National City, and I was raised my whole life in Chula Vista,” Martinez-Gomez told Fox 40. “Where do you want me to go? I was born in National City. I was raised in San Diego County my whole life.”
Yet, the official letter warned: “If you do not depart the United States immediately, you will be subject to potential law enforcement actions that will result in your removal from the United States.”
It went further with an ominous message: “Do not attempt to remain in the United States – The federal government will find you.”
The chilling irony is that Martinez-Gomez works full-time helping people fight deportation orders in immigration court.
“When I represent people in immigration court, there’s always an ICE office nearby. Will I be detained when I represent a client at a hearing? Will they come to my house?”, he questioned.
While a DHS official later acknowledged that notifications “may have been sent to unintended recipients,” Martinez-Gomez’s sense of safety was already shattered, per ABC 10.
“I’ve had to make contingency plans with my mom, something I never thought I’d have to do,” he shared.
“I’ve been protecting myself and talking to people and doing interviews. I’m not seeking fame or attention. I just want to bring light to this issue because I’m not trying to be one of the government’s mistakes.”
He wasn’t alone.
In Boston, immigration attorney Carmen Bello, who became a U.S. citizen in 2007, received an identical message.
“Depart the United States immediately,” it read. The letter, sent at 2:05AM, claimed her “parole” was terminated and warned of “criminal prosecution, civil fines and penalties” if she remained in the country.
“You are currently here because the Department of Homeland Security parole you into the United States for a limited period,” the letter stated. “DHS encourages you to leave immediately on your own. You can use the CBP Home mobile app on your phone to make arrangements for your departure.”
Bello quickly realized it had been sent in error. “Unfortunately, this type of mistaken notification is not uncommon and has been received by numerous individuals who have been paroled by the Department of Homeland Security,” she told the Daily Mail.
“I strongly encourage anyone who did receive the ‘alarming’ email to seek legal advice before taking any action.”
But what’s a clerical error for some has become life-altering for others – like Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who was actually deported to El Salvador in error, per CBS.
Now detained in a high-security prison in Santa Ana, his attorneys are fighting a legal battle to bring him home.
Judge Paula Xinis of the U.S. District Court issued a fiery ruling condemning the Justice Department’s foot-dragging. “For weeks, Defendants have sought refuge behind vague and unsubstantiated assertions of privilege… That ends now,” she wrote. “If Defendants want to preserve their privilege claims, they must support them with the required detail.”
The court-mandated updates on Abrego Garcia’s status were inconsistent and troubling. Despite reports he was moved from El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison to a lower-security facility on April 9, U.S. government officials continued to list him as detained at CECOT days later.
“Every day Mr. Abrego Garcia is detained in CECOT is another date of irreparable harm,” Xinis said, ordering depositions and expedited discovery from Trump administration officials with knowledge of the case.
Senator Chris Van Hollen met with Abrego Garcia recently and confirmed he’s now in “good conditions and in an excellent state of health,” according to the U.S. Embassy.
Still, attorneys insist the government’s discovery response has been “nothing of substance,” consisting mostly of “public filings, copies of Plaintiffs’ own discovery requests and correspondence, and two nonsubstantive cover emails.”
“This system doesn’t let you include an attorney’s contact info, so we still have no idea how I ended up on the list,” said Micheroni, echoing the confusion shared by all involved.