The widely circulated account of a Pennsylvania grandfather being secretly deported to Guatemala by ICE agents has been dismissed as an “outrage” by the Department of Homeland Security.
According to his family, 82-year-old Lewis Leon, a Chilean citizen, was handcuffed and taken by a federal officer during a green card appointment in Philadelphia on June 20. They later suggested he had died in ICE custody, only for it to be revealed that he was actually hospitalized in Guatemala.
This story first emerged from the Allentown outlet Morning Call and was subsequently picked up by several other outlets, including The Daily Beast, The Guardian, and The Independent.
DHS stated, “ICE has neither arrested nor deported Luis Leon to Guatemala, and there are no records of him appearing for green card appointments in the Philadelphia area.” They emphasized that the claims were a blatant fabrication aimed at discrediting ICE agents, who are already facing a significant rise in attacks.
A DHS representative mentioned that the media behaved irresponsibly, rushing to publish without confirming facts with the department, labeling it as journalistic malpractice.
On the day Leon was reportedly taken, his family received a call from someone claiming to be an immigration lawyer, stating he had died in custody, although this person didn’t clarify how they knew about the situation.
Eventually, Leon’s family learned from relatives in Chile that he was alive in a Guatemalan hospital. Yet, the Guatemalan Immigration Institute, which works with ICE on deportations, confirmed that they have not received any individual matching Leon’s details.
While Guatemala does accept deportations from other Central American nations, the agreement does not include South American countries.
Leon was granted political asylum in the U.S. in 1987 and worked for 40 years in a leather manufacturing plant. Records indicate he entered the U.S. from Chile in 2015 under a visa waiver program.
A death certificate matching Leon’s information was mentioned by Chilean journalist Jose del Pino, dating back to 2019.
Morning Call later defended their reporting, stating they continuously sought information from ICE, which refused to confirm any details, including Leon’s whereabouts. Leon’s supposed family has said they will no longer engage with the media and requested privacy.
The Morning Call has not yet responded to requests for further comments.
