Somebody Page Kafka

Update: a picture of Pedro Guzman is at the ACLU-SoCal site [via Hipparchia in comments].

TBogg pointed out this SoCal tragedy.

An Associated Press report from the San Diego Union Tribune on the case of Pedro Guzman:

[Los Angeles County] Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said the department followed procedures correctly.

“My understanding is that this individual said he was a Mexican national and was in the country illegally when we interviewed him,” Whitmore said. “We turn that information over to immigration officials, who then re-interview him.”

Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed he had been deported and said the agency had done so correctly.

“ICE only processes persons for removal when all available credible evidence suggests the person is an alien,” read a statement. “That process was followed here and ICE has no reason to believe that it improperly removed Pedro Guzman.” An agency spokeswoman declined to comment further because the lawsuit was pending.

Fact: Mr. Guzman is known to be illiterate, and is in the court records as a US citizen. He is also known to be of diminished capacity. He is a US citizen and he was “deported”. There is no conceivable way of characterizing this as anything other that a F**K UP on the part of the LA Sheriff and ICE. Tijuana is not kind to people like Pedro Guzman, and it is very possible that he has died. This is why you don’t give the government unlimited, unrestricted powers, they are not competent to handle even restricted powers.

The family asked for help and the authorities stonewalled. People need to go to jail over this.