Overview

• Sergio Garcia was detained in March while loading his Waco food truck and deported within about 24 hours under a removal order dating to around 2002.
• ICE and DHS describe him as a twice-deported criminal alien, saying he illegally re-entered near Laredo on April 30, was arrested, convicted of illegal entry on June 3, and deported again on June 4.
• Garcia, who entered the U.S. in 1989 on a visa and later overstayed, built a prominent local career and catered for the White House press corps during George W. Bush’s presidency.
• After his removal, Garcia says he was held for roughly 36 days by extortionists in Nuevo Laredo, later apprehended by Border Patrol, detained, and flown to Chiapas before reaching Monterrey.
• His daughters kept Sergio’s Food Truck operating until its closure on September 27, and the family says they are pursuing legal avenues including a Form I-212 to seek his return.