What started as a day care drop-off has turned into a painful deportation case and an uncertain future for a Stockbridge family.
Eduardo Guzman Garcia was driving his 2-year-old daughter to day care last month when he was pulled over for a broken taillight and arrested for driving without a license.
And now, the Mexican national who crossed the border illegally as a teenager is in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, facing deportation and the possibility of long-term separation from his wife and three children.
It’s a familiar story that has played out for hundreds of metro Atlanta residents who lack legal status as the Trump administration pursues a policy of mass deportation, and immigration officials have launched a goal of 3,000 arrests per day nationwide.
Guzman Garcia has been trying to attain citizenship for the past six years, his wife, Amanda Guzman, said. The couple met in 2018, married on their first anniversary and later moved to Stockbridge to support Guzman Garcia’s carpentry business, she said.
Shortly after the wedding, the couple filed a petition for citizenship based on Guzman Garcia’s marriage to a U.S. citizen.
“He has been trying to do things the right way. He doesn’t have a criminal history,” Amanda Guzman said. “We need him home.”
ICE officials did not respond to a request for comment about Guzman Garcia’s arrest. He is being held at Stewart Detention Center in South Georgia and has been denied bond at the request of ICE, says Jorge Gavilanes, a partner at the firm working with the family.
The arrest couldn’t have come at a worse time, Gavilanes said. He had been waiting for a final interview at the U.S. Consulate in Mexico, after which Guzman Garcia would have become eligible for an immigrant visa, according to the lawyer.
“We were only waiting for the interview,” Gavilanes said. “Everything else had been submitted.”
Amanda Guzman, who is six months pregnant, said the arrest happened in Henry County.
And while the Henry County Sheriff’s Office doesn’t officially partner with ICE through 287(g), a federal program that allows local law enforcement officers to perform some of the actions of immigration agents, it was required by Georgia law to notify the federal government that Guzman Garcia was in custody, which triggered an immigration detainer.
Gavilanes added that policy changes aim to make immigrants in ICE custody ineligible for bond, meaning more people could be detained for longer periods during immigration proceedings. The strategy has led judges to deny bond hearings nationwide over the last few weeks, Gavilanes said.
“We’ve been doing bond hearings for all these individuals, and now the government is claiming that anyone undocumented is not eligible for bond, which doesn’t make sense,” the lawyer said.
ICE filed an appeal of the bond granted to Guzman Garcia, which has kept him in federal custody. Gavilanes said it is hard to predict how long he will remain there. Removal proceedings have been initiated.
Since the arrest, Amanda Guzman has started a GoFundMe account that has raised more than $33,000 for legal expenses.
“Our friend Eduardo came to the U.S. as a teenager, chasing safety and opportunity,” the account says. “He’s never had a criminal record — just worked hard, built a business, became a devoted father, and married the love of his life, Amanda. But today, everything he’s built is at risk.”
Amanda Guzman said the detainment has been especially difficult on their three children and has added stress to her already high-risk pregnancy. Her toddler, who was in the car during the traffic stop, has nightmares and calls for her father, she said.
“He’s hard working. He takes care of our family. He’s my rock,” Amanda Guzman said. “It’s just something that’s really unfortunate that I know a lot of people are going through. They really shouldn’t be going through this.”
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