DETROIT (CBS News) -- A 39-year-old Detroit man who had lived in the U.S. for nearly 30 years has been deported to Mexico.
Jorge Garcia came to the U.S. with his family when he was 10 years old and has long sought legal status. Garcia, who worked as a landscaper and had no criminal record, was deported on Monday and can't return to the U.S. for a decade.
His wife and two children, who are all U.S. citizens, hugged him and sobbed as they said goodbye at the airport, the Detroit News reported.
"It's just a nightmare," his wife, Cindy Garcia, told the newspaper. "You can't even put it into words how it feels."
Garcia learned he'd been scheduled to be deported in November as part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. A request from Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell of Dearborn pushed back the deportation date to allow Garcia to spend the holidays with his family.
Even before the Trump administration called for an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, Garcia was too old to qualify. When DACA took effect in 2012, applicants had to be age 31 or under.
Immigrant advocates say deporting people like Garcia separates families without serving the national interest.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Khaalid Walls said in an email Tuesday he was looking into the matter.