SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A South Bay man told ABC 10News he got an email from the Department of Homeland Security saying he had to leave the United States, even though he's an American citizen.
ABC 10News anchor Melissa Mecija sat down with Aldo Martinez Gomez, who works with a nonprofit organization and helps people with immigration cases.
Martinez Gomez said he received an email from DHS instructing him to leave the country last week. The email also stated that his parole would terminate seven days after the date of the notice.
"I believe I received it because I'm an accredited representative, and I represent immigrants, and I advocate for immigrants' rights in the court. I’ve been doing that for years," he told ABC 10News.
Martinez Gomez was born in National City. He thinks the email is an intimidation tactic.
"I do get nervous, because I don't want to be an error like so many errors that this administration has made," he said. "They have been talking about deporting U.S. citizens, so it is a concern because that means I'm on their radar."
In a statement sent to ABC 10News on Friday morning, a senior DHS official said notices may have been sent to "unintended recipients" if a migrant happened to provide an email address of a U.S. citizen.
You can read the full DHS statement below:
"CBP has issued notices terminating parole for individuals who do not have lawful status to remain. This process is not limited to CBP One users and does not currently apply to those paroled under programs such as U4U and OAW.
"CBP used the known email addresses of the alien to send notifications. If a non-personal email—such as an American citizen contact—was provided by the alien, notices may have been sent to unintended recipients. CBP is monitoring communications and will address any issues on a case-by-case basis.
"To be clear: If you are an alien, being in the United States is a privilege—not a right. We are acting in the best interest of the country and enforcing the law accordingly."
Martinez Gomez's seven days just expired on Friday, April 18. As of that morning, he was waiting on what to do next.
"That’s why I’m trying to speak out because I’m not going to live in fear. I’m going to represent my clients still. I’m still going to go to the courtrooms. I’m still going to pass by the ICE offices every time I have to go to court. I’m still going to enter detention facilities to represents my clients, but it’s all intimidation tactics," he said.
