Los Angeles dad released after 200 days in federal custody over paperwork issues

Dad released after 200 days in ICE custody

Juan Carlos Mejia, a Winnetka dad, is back home after spending about 200 days in federal detention center. He was detained after he was accused of not having proper paperwork to live in the United States.

"We tried not to cry, but tears were dropping." 

LOS ANGELES – That’s how son Jonathon described the emotional punch of his father, Juan Carlos Mejia, finally returning home Jan. 8 after nearly 200 days detained in federal detention centers. FOX 11 obtained exclusive video of one of Mejia’s twin daughters rushing to tearfully hug her dad in the family driveway. It was followed by a long family group hug.

At times during the ordeal, the chances of escaping deportation looked bleak for this Winnetka father of three. Juan Carlos, a 42-year-old Guatemalan native, is in this country without papers. And yet, the family describes a life with deep roots in the community. Jonathon says his dad paid taxes, bought a home and ran a successful gardening business for decades. He’s barely even had a speeding ticket.

Then came that fateful day, June 19 last summer. Juan Carlos and Jonathon were shopping at a Burbank Home Depot when ICE agents spotted the dad in the parking lot. They chased him down and took him into custody.

For half a year, Juan Carlos was moved from detention facility to detention facility. Mejia was held at centers near the Mexican border before being transferred to various detention facilities in Texas. At his lowest, the dad called his 17-year-old son and said, "Sell the house, sell the car, and sell the tools."

But the Mejia family stayed strong. They had support from family, friends — and even strangers. When his clients heard of Mejia’s plight, they formed a GoFundMe. The fundraiser helped ensure Mejia’s wife and children could keep food on the table and pay bills while he was in federal custody. The support also led them to an immigration attorney, Jeremy Anderson, who is hopeful one day his client will become an American citizen.

One of the key differences in Mejia’s case is that he opted not to sign papers to self-deport. All along, he believed he could make a case for staying in this country and continuing life as a contributing U.S. citizen — if only, he thought, authorities would listen.

Still, Mejia recounted his six months without freedom and without family. On frustrating days, hope slipped away. Speaking in Spanish, he described conditions inside the detention centers.

"The conditions are very critical. There is no dignity. It’s not a place for us. We are not delinquents. We are not bad people," Mejia said.

For now, Juan Carlos Mejia wears an ankle monitor at his Winnetka home. He has a hearing later this month in federal court. A grateful 7-year-old daughter, Maria, summed up her father’s return simply: "You just have to wait. Parents will come back."