(WCMH) – A father of four was forced to leave his family behind in Ohio Tuesday.
WEWS reports Jesus Lara Lopez left the US on his journey back to Mexico Tuesday. He had an immigration hearing Monday.
Officials reportedly told Lopez in March that he was being deported under an illegal immigration crackdown.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Lara said at the airport through a translator. “The government is breaking up families.”
The family’s lawyer says the system is in need of repair.
“These are the darkest times I’ve ever seen as an attorney, as an advocate, as an American,” said David Leopold. “When the best and the brightest that we have to offer are taken from their homes, ripped out of their families and sent away, and I think what’s important for people to understand is that the law is so broken.”
Lopez was given an order of deportation in 2008 after being pulled over for a minor traffic violation, WKYC reported.
He was never charged with a crime, has paid taxes and did not receive food stamps.
He was given permission to live and work in the country until the deportation order was activated. In May of 2017 ICE demanded he wear an ankle bracelet and buy his own one-way ticket back to Mexico, according to WKYC.