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50-year-old deported to Mexico, rendered stateless when Guatemala refuses to accept him

Feb 2026 · Villahermosa, MX, Guatemala

Mauricio De Leon, 50, was born in Guatemala and taken to the United States by his mother at age one. He grew up in the foster system in Long Beach after his mother lost custody. Given a deportation order in 2007 after serving time for drug trafficking, he was deported to Mexico last year. Mexico attempted to return him to Guatemala, but Guatemala said it had no record of him, leaving him essentially stateless. He survives on savings from his work as a truck driver in California.

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