A high school senior from Reseda who was detained by ICE in August has been reunited with his family.
Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz’s family said the teen was taken into custody while he was walking his dog, just days before students returned to classes at the Los Angeles Unified School District.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Guerrero-Cruz had overstayed his Visa by more than two years.
The Department of Homeland Security had issued a statement on the matter, saying that “Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz, an illegal alien from Chile, overstayed his visa by more than two years, abusing the Visa Waiver Program under which he entered the United States, which required him to depart the United States on March 15, 2023.”
He was taken to the Adelanto detention center and then transferred to Arizona.
California congresswoman Luz Rivas announced Thursday on the house floor that the teen was back home.
“My heart goes out to his family, especially his mother, who can hold her son again after months of fear and uncertainty at the hands of ICE,” Rivas said. “No family should ever have to live through this.”
Congresswoman Rivas also introduced the Inform Act, that would require ICE agents to notify family members of a detainees transfer within 24 hours, a requirement which the current law does not include.