UPDATE: Roberto Beristain was deported back to Mexico on Wednesday by ICE officials. “He hadn’t committed any crimes. He didn’t even have a parking ticket,” family attorney Adam Ansari said. “From everyone’s accounts he is probably one of the most lovable guys you will ever meet. He is a loving husband and father. And he put a lot of work into his restaurant.”
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During the 2016 election, a major pillar of Donald Trump’s campaign was the promise he’d deport the estimated 11 million undocumented people living in the country. He said they would be rounded up in “a very humane way, in a very nice way.” He also said they we’re going to “be happy because they want to be legalized.” Now, an Indiana woman that voted for Trump is shocked that her husband faces deportation.
Helen Beristain’s husband, Roberto, was taken to a deportation center in Wisconsin and faces being deported back to Mexico after living in the United States since 1998. The Indiana man owned a restaurant, Eddie’s Steak Shed, and is a popular person in the community. “He’s trying to hold up,” Helen told Indiana Public Media. “He said, ‘I haven’t done anything wrong, I haven’t committed a crime. The only crime I’ve done is wanting to be in the United States.’ ”
Sixteen-and-a-half years ago, Beristain was detained in Canada when he and his wife accidently crossed over the border into the country while on a vacation in Niagara Falls. He was detained by Canadian authorities for not having proper documentation. After being released, he was told he would have to return to Mexico in a month, but due to his wife’s pregnancy, he stayed with his family in the United States.
Roberto would go on to get a work permit and was hoping to have a green card. Earlier this year, during his annual check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, Roberto was told he would be deported because the Trump administration had changed how the government organizes people for deportation. According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, “When he failed to depart the United States by that time, as required, his voluntary departure order reverted to a final order of removal.”
Helen voted for Trump because —regardless of his rhetoric—she didn’t think men like her husband would be deported. “(Trump) did say the good people would not be deported, the good people would be checked,” Helen said. “We don’t want to have cartels here, you don’t want to have drugs in your high schools, you don’t want killers next to you,” Helen told Indiana Public Media. “You want to feel safe when you leave your house. I truly believe that. And, this is why I voted for Mr. Trump.”
