Looking for answers (Globe Gazette)

Looking for answers
By LAURA BIRD, laura.bird@globegazette.com
Saturday, August 29, 2009 2:06 PM CDT

HAMPTON — Gustavo Sosa, 19, Hampton, was a 2008 graduate of Hampton-Dumont High School, North Iowa Area Community College student, Bible school teacher and five-year Fareway employee when his world came crashing down around him on July 22.

That was the day he was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and told that he would be deported to Mexico.

“The hard pill to swallow with Gus is that his parents never told him anything and no one ever took that into consideration,” said Henry Leca, the Hampton family Sosa had been staying with the past year and a half since he became estranged from his parents. He’s also engaged to their daughter, Amanda Leca, 16.

Sosa was deported on Aug. 12, and now the Leca family is trying to get him back.

Sosa’s parents brought him and his siblings to Hampton when he was 10-years-old. They came through a tourist visa, Linda Leca said.

Eventually that visa expired and in 2006 a federal immigration judge offered the family voluntary deportation, said Tim Counts, ICE spokesman. The family had until April 23, 2007, to leave on their own. If they didn’t ICE would find them and deport them.

The Lecas said Sosa had no knowledge of this and that his parents had handled any necessary paperwork.

“What I don’t understand about all of this mess is when their visa expired Gus was still underage,” Linda said. “How was Gus supposed to know at that age that he was going to be deported? Even after he turned 18 he never received anything saying ‘Hey your parents violated their visa.’”

Not knowing any of this, Sosa worked, paid taxes and went to school. On July 22 he was arrested.