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Kelly@broadwaybabyto · Jul 19, 2025

An 82 year old man named Luis Leon came to the US in 1987. He sought asylum from political persecution in Chile. He’s…

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Summary

An 82-year-old Luis Leon, who sought asylum from Chile in 1987 and held a valid green card, was detained by ICE after losing his wallet and was mysteriously transferred to Guatemala without explanation or family contact. His family initially received false death notification before discovering he was detained abroad, raising serious questions about ICE procedures and the treatment of elderly immigrants.

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  1. #1

    An 82 year old man named Luis Leon came to the US in 1987. He sought asylum from political persecution in Chile. He’s been in the US ever since & was granted a green card. He lost his wallet (and green card) in June & when he went to replace it he was disappeared by ICE 🧵

  2. #2

    What followed for his family is the stuff of nightmares. They couldn’t find him. Couldn’t talk to him. Couldn’t get him a lawyer. This was a senior citizen who did absolutely nothing wrong. Who hasn’t lost their wallet at some point?

  3. #3

    On July 9th the family were informed he had died. They were consumed with grief and still had no information about what happened to him. Mercifully it turns out that information was a mistake, and Leon was instead being held in Guatemala.

  4. #4

    Why Guatemala? No one knows. Was it a mistake? Was it punishment? This is what happens when you move fast and break things. Someone who was granted political asylum should never have to fear being deported to a foreign country. This shouldn’t even need to be said.

  5. #5

    He has multiple health issues and his current condition is unknown. Family is flying to Guatemala to see him This should never happen. People need to keep speaking out. Leon did everything the “right” way and still got disappeared. The cruelty seems to be the point /end

  6. #6

    Here’s more on his story. Hopefully his family can locate him in relatively stable condition and they’re all allowed to return home: independent.co.uk/news/world/ame…

  7. #7

    Being detained is dangerous to your health at the best of times, but even more so if you’re elderly or disabled. Being without medications & your regular routine can be disastrous. I wrote about ICE’s treatment of disabled immigrants & how we can help: disabledginger.com/p/disabled-peo…

  8. #8

    I’m sad this needs clarifying but evidently it might… he wasn’t 82 when he came to the US He’s 82 now. He’s been in the US for almost 40 years A senior citizen with multiple health issues who did nothing wrong. If this doesn’t anger you, please take a hard look in the mirror

  9. #9

    Update: The department of homeland security has issued a statement saying this is a hoax The Morning Call published an article saying the story is false, but I’ve not seen an official retraction. This is a mess which will make it harder for immigrants to get their stories told

    The Morning Call@mcall · Jul 21, 2025

    ICE says Allentown grandfather Luis Leon was never taken into custody, calls story a ‘hoax’ trib.al/chUD5a2