The mother of a US Army officer is now back in Mexico after living as illegal immigrant in San Diego off and on for the past 31 years. The San Diego Union-Tribune says 51-year-old Rocio Rebollar Gomez was deported to Tijuana on Thursday after several last ditch efforts to stay with her family in the United States by requesting asylum failed. The mother of three first came to the U.S. in 1988 and has reportedly been deported three times before, making her ineligible for asylum.
Through a translator during a news conference outside the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Office Building in downtown San Diego she said, "I pray to God to work a miracle."
Gomez bought a home in the San Diego area and has worked a variety of jobs during her time living in the U.S. It appears the only law she has ever broken is entering the country illegally.
Last month, immigration authorities refused to accept Gomez into a program that can shield some people from deportation if they are related to members of the US military. Her son is a 2nd Lieutenant in Army. Lt. Gibram Cruz says he's unsure how soon he'll be able to visit his mother in Mexico. He claims that he'll need special permission to enter that country, since he is a member of the the paperwork can take a long time to process.
Her attorney has reportedly said Gomez is afraid she will be killed by criminal gangs if she returns to her former hometown in Mexico.