Family who has legally lived in the U.S. since 1993 may be deported because of misplaced paperwork

A Florida family who has been living legally in the country for 25 years may be deported in the new year to their native Peru, all due to paperwork that was misplaced by a government worker.

Juan Miguel Torres-Bruno has been living in the U.S. since 1993. He was only 9 months old when his family first arrived in the country, and for him, it has truly represented the American dream. He even served as quarterback for his high school football team. Now, he faces deportation to a world he isn’t familiar with.

“It’s kind of like a month-to-month thing. These laws, you don’t know, everything is changing,” Juan told Alabama news outlet WBRC. 

His father, Miguel Torres-Bruno, owns a business, employs people and pays his taxes. Other members of the family were granted legal status in the U.S. “All of them applied for political asylum, and all of them were granted,” Miguel told the news outlet.

In 2000, the family went before a judge; however, the federal government said it lost part of the family’s file. Their case was dismissed in 2009.

“We never found out until 2010, when ICE knocked on the door and took me to jail,” Miguel said.

The family members, which include Miguel’s wife and Juan’s mother, have an attorney and are fighting to stay in a country that they call home. Each year, they apply for exemptions to work things out legally; regardless, they have been ordered to leave.

“We do every single thing they request,” Miguel said.