A 82 year old grandfather lived in the U.S. for 40 years. Fled torture in Chile. No criminal record. Went to replace his green card and ICE detained him and secretly deported him to Guatemala. His family was told he died. He’s now alone in a hospital. This is evil.

An 82-year-old man named Luis Leon, who fled Chile and lived in the U.S. For decades, was detained by ICE after attempting to replace his lost green card and was secretly deported to Guatemala, with his family initially misinformed that he had died.

At a glance

Key Evidence

Verified July 20, 2025

Multiple independent news outlets including The Guardian and The Independent report that Luis Leon was detained by ICE after visiting an immigration office to replace his green card and was secretly deported to Guatemala; his family was initially told he had died but later found he was alive in a hospital.theguardian.com independent.co.uk

The reporting

What the Evidence Shows

The claim involves several factual components: the man's age, (82) his history fleeing torture in Chile, his long residence in the U.S. (about 40 years), lack of a criminal record, detention by ICE during a green card replacement visit, secret deportation to Guatemala, and misinformation given to his family about his death. Multiple credible news sources confirm these elements. Luis Leon fled Chile during the Pinochet regime and was granted asylum in the U.S. In 1987.

He lived in Allentown, Pennsylvania for decades without a criminal record. In June 2025, when he went to replace a lost green card, ICE detained him without clear explanation and subsequently deported him to Guatemala without notifying his family. For weeks, his family feared he had died due to lack of communication and misinformation from authorities.

He was later found alive but alone in a hospital in Guatemala.theguardian.com independent.co.uk thedailybeast.com The claim that this situation is 'evil' is an opinion reflecting moral judgment rather than a factual assertion. While the facts about detention and deportation are well-supported, some details such as the exact reasons for deportation or legal justifications are less clear publicly.

The secrecy and misinformation surrounding the case have been widely criticized as unjust and harmful. Overall, the core factual claims are accurate based on multiple independent reports from reputable news organizations.

Primary trail