U.S. sued for deporting citizen to Mexico

LOS ANGELES, June 12 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles family of a developmentally challenged man is suing the U.S. government for allegedly deporting him and claims he's lost somewhere in Mexico.

At a news conference, the mother of 29-year-old Pedro Guzman, Maria Carbajal told reporters her U.S.-born son was arrested for trespassing and was sentenced in April to 120 days in jail, The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

A month later, she said her son called and said he had been deported to Tijuana, Mexico. He hasn't been heard from since May 11, and Carbajal said she spent the last month living in her car in Tijuana, handing out fliers and showing his picture to hospitals, prisons and among street people with no success, the

Times said.

The American Civil Liberties Union, a partner in the suit, claimed the Sheriff's Department for acting as "de facto immigration agents." The department denied the allegation, saying federal authorities make the decision to deport someone. The Times said a statement from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office said the agency had "no reason to believe that it improperly removed Pedro Guzman."

Guzman is light-skinned and 6-foot, 5-inches tall and his family told reporters he cannot read or write and gets lost easily.