An abrupt deportation causes pain for several family members - News9.com

For the past 20 years John Head consistently met with immigration for his regular check-ins.

His wife, Ana Head, said for the last nine months, he was transferred to different ICE detention centers after being taken into custody.

“I cried every night. You know, for him,” said Ana.

He was deported to Brazil on February 28 where he was at the Core Civic Cimarron Facility.Something his family was not expecting.

His daughter, Aliana Head, shared with News 9 what her last visit with her dad was like.

“He was back there for maybe three minutes, and then he came out and was like, okay, they’re taking me. I have to go. So he gave me his keys, his wallet, and, yeah they took him there,” said Aliana.

This comes after a burglary when he was 17 and a DUI more than 20 years ago where he served almost two years.

John was a permanent resident but had not established U.S. citizenship.

In December the family said they filed a Habeas Corpus in December.

“We were hoping within a few months of that being, filed that he would be released here under the same supervision status that he had previously, being that he didn’t commit any crimes. I mean, he didn’t even get as much as a speeding ticket,” said Aliana.

“It gives me peace that he’s not locked up into these four walls. I mean, there was a point where there was, like, 50 of them in this room,” said Ana as she clings tightly to her cell phone filled with his messages replacing his absence.

While the family adjusts to their new life without John, painful reminders continue to surface of what he will miss.

“His mother’s 80 years old.She has health issues.She will never get to see her son anymore,” said Ana.

She said John currently lives in an Airbnb in Belo Horizonte, Brazil and the family is helping him with that expense.

Ana does not have a date yet, but said she is planning to move there permanently to be with him.