Southern California couple held in ICE detention, facing deportation to Colombia after 35 years in US

Hanna Kang, The Orange County Register on Mar 18, 2025

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LOS ANGELES — A Laguna Niguel couple who has lived in the U.S. for 35 years is being detained in a Louisiana immigration facility and faces deportation to Colombia, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Gladys Gonzalez, 55, and Nelson Gonzalez, 59, originally entered the U.S. without authorization near San Ysidro in November 1989, an ICE spokesperson said in a statement. Both were ordered to leave the country in 2000 after an immigration judge granted them voluntary departure, ICE said. Over the years, they pursued multiple legal avenues to stay, including appeals to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Board of Immigration Appeals and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, according to ICE.

On Feb. 21, the couple was detained by ICE during a routine check-in — something they had complied with regularly, according to their family’s GoFundMe page.

An ICE spokesperson confirmed that neither Gladys Gonzalez nor Nelson Gonzalez has a criminal record. But the couple “exhausted all legal options to remain in the U.S. between March 2000 and August 2021,” according to ICE, and are now in violation of U.S. immigration law.

Their detention has devastated their family, who say the couple had always followed the rules.

“They have never broken the law, never missed an appointment, and this sudden occurrence has left us in shock,” the couple’s daughters, who were raised in the U.S., wrote in a GoFundMe fundraiser launched to cover legal costs and help the couple prepare for life in Colombia.

Every year, thousands of undocumented immigrants, including the Gonzalezes, attend routine check-ins with ICE. This process allows immigration officials to monitor individuals who are not considered immediate priorities for deportation while they pursue legal avenues to stay in the U.S.

But on Feb. 21, “they were put into handcuffs by their wrists and ankles and treated as criminals before getting to these detention centers,” Stephanie Gonzalez, the couple’s daughter, told KTLA. “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.”

Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, who represents Laguna Niguel and California’s 49th Congressional District, said resources should be focused on removing individuals who pose a real threat to public safety.

“If someone has no criminal background or gang affiliation, why are they a priority for deportation? This is a waste of resources that should be used to remove dangerous individuals — not break up families and target hardworking people. We need smart, effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes actual criminals, not senseless deportations.”

The family is now working to support the couple’s transition to Colombia.

“After talking to over 30 attorneys, the best thing we can do right now is help our parents prepare for a new life in Colombia,” the daughters wrote on their GoFundMe page.

According to ICE, while immigration laws allow individuals to seek protection from deportation, once they have gone through all legal processes and appeals, they must follow a final deportation order issued by an immigration judge, and ICE is required to enforce that order.

The detention and pending deportation of the Gonzalez couple come amid broader immigration enforcement efforts under President Donald Trump. While the administration has emphasized a focus on removing individuals with criminal records or pending charges, recent ICE data shows that nearly half of those detained in early February had no criminal history.

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