Pedro Guzman

Who is Pedro Guzman?

Pedro Guzman is a United States citizen who was erroneously and illegally deported to Mexico by the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency in May 2007. He spent 85 days in Mexico before successfully returning to the United States and his family. He is currently involved in a lawsuit filed on February 27, 2008 against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and ICE.

Sometime prior to 2008, Guzman was arrested for trespassing in a Lancaster airport, where he attempted to board a private airplane, and was subsequently sentenced to 120 days in a Los Angeles County jail. During custody, a sheriff's department employee erroneously reported him to the ICE as a non-citizen, despite both departmental records and a statement Guzman made at booking identifying him as a US citizen.

Once transferred to ICE custody, Guzman signed a document agreeing to a voluntary deportation to Mexico. ICE officials claimed that Guzman "repeatedly told ICE officers and Customs and Border Patrol officials and others that he was born in Mexico". He was then transferred to Tijuana, Baja California, and given $3 to survive with. Using a borrowed cell phone, Guzman made a call to his family explaining his deportation, but the call was disconnected.