A father who missed his freeway exit and accidentally crossed into Mexico will be deported to El Salvador after he was unable to pay a bribe allegedly demanded by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials.
Erick Hernandez, a 34-year-old DACA recipient, has lived in the US since he was 14.
On June 1 he was driving a rideshare customer when he missed an exit on the I-5 freeway near San Ysidro and unintentionally crossed into Mexico, his attorney told NBC. Hernandez tried to explain the mistake and re-enter the country, but because DACA recipients are required to have trips outside of the US approved in advance, his return was denied.
His attorney, Valerie Sigamani, says he was placed in expedited removal and is now being held at Otay Mesa Detention Center without bond. "He lost everything, basically," she said.
Sigamani has filed a complaint with the FBI, claiming CBP officials solicited a bribe from Hernandez, who believed it was a legal fee but was unable to pay.
"One of the officials told him, 'Well, if you pay us $800, we'll forgive everything, and we'll let you into the United States with no problem,'" Sigamani said. She hopes his cooperation in a potential corruption investigation could protect him from deportation.
"He's afraid of returning to El Salvador," she said. "He doesn't know that country. He hasn't been there since he was a kid, so he has no idea what it's like to live in El Salvador."
Hernandez, who has no criminal record, lives in East Los Angeles with his American citizen wife, Nancy Rivera, and their children. He works with his father and supplements his full time work as a rideshare driver. The couple welcomed a daughter last year and are expecting a son in August.
"He was my main support," said Rivera, who is currently in her third trimester and works full-time. "I'm just worrying...if he gets deported, how I'm going to manage everything by myself."
Hernandez's parents, who fled violence and corruption in El Salvador and now have legal status, described the experience as "a nightmare."
His family and attorney are now urgently seeking a legal remedy to halt his deportation.
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