- Kearney businessman Carlos Godinez, who has lived in the U.S. for 37 years, faces deportation to Guatemala due to a misdemeanor criminal record.
OMAHA — Roughly 2,500 petition signers and a courtroom overflowing with supporters, some relatives who are U.S. citizens, could not stop the deportation of a well-known Kearney, Nebraska, businessman.
An Omaha immigration judge on Tuesday ordered that Carlos Godinez be returned to his native Guatemala, a place he hadn’t visited since leaving 37 years ago, at age 10, with his mother to be with his father in the U.S.
Judge Abby Meyer cited his misdemeanor criminal record, said his sister Rose Godinez. Her brother appeared virtually on a screen for the hearing in Omaha’s immigration court, which she said lasted less than 15 minutes. He spoke, but Rose felt he didn’t get the chance to respond, defend or elaborate on his record.
“We feel quite a bit of anxiety not knowing what comes next,” Rose said after the hearing. “He can’t wait to see and hug his kids, even if it’s on the other side of the border.”…