You can read this story in Spanish here.
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An Overland Park resident is self-deporting.
Carlos Pacheco is originally from Guatemala and has been in the U.S. for more than two decades.
Now, he’s leaving behind his wife and kids.
“I don't want to keep breaking the law,” said Pacheco, who entered the U.S. through Mexico.
He says he feels happy to go back home after such a long time. The reason: is his mom, whom he hasn’t seen since he left Guatemala.
“I don't want to lose her without being able to hug her again,” Pacheco said.
While his family is waiting for him in Guatemala, he’s also leaving his family behind.
“The situation is difficult. It's painful. It's necessary,” said Pacheco. “Unfortunately, we’ve never been welcome.”
He says his wife and kids are documented and staying.
He received a deportation order and now he wants to leave for his peace.
“I’m aware that they don’t want us," he said. "And it’s time to go back. We have to do it."
Pacheco has a job in recycling.
“He’s also maybe giving up the right to ever see his wife and children again," Roger McCrummen, an immigration lawyer, said.
McCrummen is not familiar with Carlos Pacheco’s specific situation.
He does handle similar cases. According to McCrummen, the self-deportation process is more “humane.”
“It’s better than being escorted out of the country in handcuffs," he said. "You’re leaving on your own free will. It is at your own expense. If the government deports you, they pay for it."
A price Carlos is willing to pay.
“They’ve told me I’m a coward for abandoning my family," Pacheco said. "But on the contrary, as immigrants, we know where we are born, but we don’t know where we will die.”
He plans to return to his home country once the weather improves.
KSHB 41 reporter Fe Silva covers education stories involving K-12. Share your story idea with Fe.
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