Immigration officials granted an illegal immigrant “voluntary departure” instead of deportation after he allegedly embezzled money through the job he was working in the U.S.
Gus Zamudio, an 18-year-old from Mexico, returned to Mexico City nearly a month before he was expected to graduate from art school, according to the Charlotte Observer.
Zamudio allegedly embezzled approximately $3,000 from ‘Harris Teeter,’ the store he was working in back in February, according to police. Zamudio’s attorney pleaded down the felony charges, but the illegal immigrant remained in law enforcement custody.
Under former President Barack Obama’s administration, Zamudio would likely have been protected from remaining in federal custody, despite the criminal accusations. He could have received protection under the ‘Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals’ (DACA) program, in which illegal immigrants are called ‘DREAMers.’
Though DACA is still up and running under President Donald Trump, illegal immigrants who are accused or convicted of crimes, but are enrolled in the program, are eligible for deportation.
Zamudio’s immigration lawyer, played off the teen’s felony charges as a “mistake,” telling the Charlotte Observer “He made a mistake, certainly. But that didn’t make him a threat to public safety or a terrorist.”
Zamudio will now be able to apply for a visa to enter the U.S. legally, though he is not guaranteed that his visa application will be approved.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.