A Mexican-born chef who spent 36 years in the United States — even catering events tied to the George W. Bush White House — has been deported in what critics say highlights the harsh edge of President Trump’s revived immigration enforcement policy.
Sergio Garcia Silva, who lived in Waco, Texas, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)in March and swiftly deported to Mexico within 24 hours, despite having no criminal record apart from a decades-old deportation order.
Garcia, who first entered the U.S. in 1989, built a life and career over three decades — opening a local restaurant in 1995 and catering for high-profile clients, including members of the White House press corps during the Bush administration.
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But this year, Garcia’s long, quiet life unraveled. ICE officers arrested him at his food truck in March and sent him across the border to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, just one day later.
In a statement, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, described Garcia as a “criminal illegal alien” who “chose to ignore our laws and illegally re-enter the country, a federal felony offense.”
“Bottom line: Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.,” McLaughlin said.
Garcia, now 65, told The Waco Bridge that he was taken to a “compound” and extorted for money before finally reaching a detention center, where he spent a month before being flown to Chiapas.
He and his wife, Sandra, had spent 25 years trying to secure U.S. citizenship, hiring multiple lawyers along the way. One attorney’s alleged mishandling of his paperwork reportedly led to the 2002 deportation order that ultimately sealed his fate.
Now, Garcia and Sandra are rebuilding their lives in Mexico, while their four children remain in the U.S.
For many in Waco, the case has struck a painful chord — a reminder that even those who have spent decades contributing to their communities can suddenly be caught in the crossfire of America’s immigration battles.
Source: ameyawdebrah.com/
