CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. — A U.S. detainee -- whose only crime was to reenter the U.S. after a deportation -- has been away from his wife and kids in Coral Springs for five months.
Dante Lopez said he returned to the U.S. to find refuge away from Peru’s guerrilla warfare. After he applied for asylum, he met with ICE agents regularly.
Lopez, who was born in Peru, has lived in Coral Springs for 15 years. It haunts him that his children saw the heavily armed team that detained him.
“I want to be reunited with my family; I want to be back home,” Lopez said from a detention center in Arizona.
Lopez said he has been especially worried about his daughter Isabela, who was born in the U.S., and has special needs.
During his time in detention, Lopez said ICE has been moving him around the country. He attributed the stress of the traumatic experience as the cause of a heart condition that he said he developed in detention.
A physician referred him to a cardiologist, but he has been waiting for ICE to approve the referral. Lopez said he is doing what he can to stay calm.
“The only thing I want is my kids,” Lopez said.
While behind bars, Lopez said he is trying to stay proactive, so he can see his family again.
“It’s really hard! You know, I try like get closer to God,” Lopez said. “I read my Bible and have faith.”
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