An American Shame: ICE Secretly Deports 82-Year-Old Grandfather from Allentown
And No One in Power Says a Word
Luis Leon, an 82-year-old grandfather and legal permanent resident of the United States—a man who survived torture in Chile and was granted asylum under Ronald Reagan—walked into a Philadelphia immigration office last month to replace a lost green card.
He never walked out.
Instead, he was secretly detained, disappeared, and deported to a country he has no connection to—Guatemala. Not Chile. Not the United States. Guatemala. A country that Luis Leon has no ties to. A place where he has no family, no home, no medication for his diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. No one told his family. No one even told his lawyer. The U.S. government just dumped him there. And they still haven’t said why.
This is not just a story of ICE misconduct. It is a story of institutional cruelty, broken systems, and political cowardice.
And it raises a question that every Pennsylvanian—and every American—should be asking right now:
Where is Governor Josh Shapiro?
Where is the outrage from the self-styled Democrat of the “next generation”? Where is the due process Shapiro swore to uphold? Why has the Governor of Pennsylvania not made a single public statement about the unlawful disappearance and deportation of an elderly constituent from Allentown?
Luis Leon survived Pinochet’s dictatorship. He found refuge in Pennsylvania. He lived peacefully in the U.S. for decades. He raised a family here. He retired from a leather plant after a lifetime of hard work.
He is not a criminal. He is not undocumented. He is not a threat to anyone. But under this broken immigration machine, he was black-bagged like an enemy combatant and tossed into bureaucratic oblivion. And no one in power lifted a finger.
The Silence Is Deafening
Let’s be clear: this happened in our backyard. It happened in Allentown. ICE agents in Philadelphia carried it out. Yet Governor Shapiro—who finds time to go on national TV, to pitch himself as a “post-polarization” presidential candidate—can’t be bothered to speak up for an 82-year-old torture survivor being illegally deported from his own state?
Where is the moral leadership?
Where are the press conferences?
Where is the emergency response to bring Luis Leon home?
And why does Shapiro’s ambition to be President seem to outweigh his willingness to protect his constituents?
Because the truth is, you can’t govern with silence. You can’t claim the Democratic mantle while ignoring one of the most obscene violations of due process we’ve seen in years.
What happened to Luis Leon should shake the conscience of every American. But instead, it’s been met with shrugs—from Washington to Harrisburg.
This Isn’t About One Man
It’s about what kind of country we’ve become.
It’s about what kind of state Pennsylvania will be.
Luis was disappeared by an unaccountable agency. His family was told he might be dead. They were denied basic information. And now they are planning to travel to Guatemala—on their own dime—to rescue him.
ICE still hasn’t explained where they held him or why they deported him. The government has produced no records of his detention or expulsion.
This is the kind of thing we associate with military juntas. Not the United States of America.
And yet it happened. Right here. With zero resistance from the Governor who promised to “protect Pennsylvanians.”
The Time for Outrage Is Now
Call on Governor Shapiro to issue a statement and demand ICE release all records related to this case.
Demand a full investigation into how a legal resident was deported without judicial review.
Tell your state representatives and local press: we will not accept government secrecy and silent complicity.
Ask Shapiro: If you want to be President, what will you do to protect the powerless from the powerful?
Because if Luis Leon can be disappeared and dumped in a foreign country, it could happen to anyone without power, papers, or protection.
We are better than this. But only if we fight like hell to prove it.
Thank you so much for this story and I've urged everyone to write/call senators, shapiro and the local press. 27 July 25, just spoke to Hayden of ABC 27 news and urged him to investigate and report on this story. He will discuss with ABC management. PLEASE let's keep the pressure on our elected officials and the press. I'll keep you posted with my actions.