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. A beloved gardener, the community raised money via a GoFundMe to allow Mejia's wife and the couple's kids to be able to keep paying their bills while dad was in federal custody.

LOS ANGELES - Juan Carlos Mejía, a Winnetka dad, is back home after spending about 200 days in federal detention center. 

Mejía was detained over the summer after ICE agents grabbed him from a Home Depot parking lot in Burbank. During his detainment, the 42-year-old Winnetka dad was moved from center to center before he arrived home on Thursday, January 8.

He was detained after he was accused of not having proper paperwork to live in the United States. 

A gardener, Mejía's clients put together a GoFundMe to raise money so Mejía's wife and the couple's children are able to have food on the table and keep paying their bills while dad was in federal custody. Back at the house, Mejía, his family and the family's attorney are holding out hope that the 42-year-old will one day become a U.S. citizen.