Reuters reported, citing relatives of a Mexican citizen, that he was asked to sign a document permitting his deportation to Libya.
Family members said they fear he may be deported from the United States to Libya after he contacted them on Tuesday from an immigration detention center in Texas, saying he was asked to sign a document authorizing his deportation to Libya.
Valentin Yah said that several other individuals of various nationalities at the Pearsall Immigration Detention Center in Texas were also ordered to sign the same document, according to two of the man’s family members.
His family, who requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation, said he was begging immigration officials on Tuesday to deport him to Mexico instead — a country just about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from where he was being held.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio also hinted last week that Washington is seeking to expand the list of countries to which it deports individuals, beyond countries like El Salvador.
Rubio said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House last Wednesday: “The farther away from America, the better.”
