CENTENNIAL, Colo. — A Thornton business man went before Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials at the Centennial field office Thursday morning to face deportation.
Arturo Hernandez Garcia first arrived in the United States in 1999 on a tourism visa. He has been in Colorado for the past 16 years, where he started his own flooring company and raised a family.
ICE told Garcia to go to the field office in Centennial with proof that he plans to leave the country and return to Mexico by April 22.
Garcia said that after providing an ICE agent with his travel plans, he was allowed to return to his family. Garcia said ICE has requested he send a certified letter from Mexico by May 1 to prove he self-deported.
As Garcia’s attorneys continue to fight his case, his wife and two daughters said their lives will be shattered if he is forced to leave.
“We didn’t come here in any way to be a burden on this country; we came here to contribute and really build it up and that’s something we’ve done as a family,” Garcia's wife, Anna Garcia said.
Garcia said he remains hopeful that he will be able to stay in the country.