Man deported after basement detention despite living in U.S. for 28 years, U visa pending
Oct 9, 2025 · San Diego, CA, Mexico

Esteban Rios Sosa, who had lived in the United States for 28 years and was applying for a U visa for crime victims, was detained at the San Diego courthouse after arriving for a routine ICE check-in on October 9, 2025. He was held in the basement for one night in an 8-by-16-foot cell with six other men, where he slept on a thin yoga mat-like mattress and endured inhumane conditions. ICE agents told him he would be expedited removal without opportunity to appeal to a judge, and he was deported to Tijuana the next day. DHS later posted a tweet claiming he had been charged with domestic violence and aggravated assault, but Rios Sosa said those charges belong to his son with a different name, and some of his paperwork had his brother's name on it. His wife was also detained the same day and transferred between facilities. Rios Sosa says he experienced severe emotional and physical trauma and hopes to file a lawsuit claiming his deportation was unlawful.
Sources
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