By james art 
Carlos Garcia, a dedicated Hyaleya teacher, Florida, never imagined that his life would come to a creaking stop for a past crime. Having lived in the United States for nearly two decades, Garcia was deported to Honduras in early 2021, separating him from his wife, children and the community where he had worked so hard to be part. In an exclusive interview, Garcia opens to deportation, the pain of leaving her family, and the challenges he faced, adapting to the life he never thought would return.
Building Life in Hialeah: Dreams for a better future
Carlos Garcia arrived in the United States in 2003, running away from Honduras’s political instability and economic difficulties. He came with nothing but a dream of building a better life for himself and his future family. Garcia works tirelessly to learn English, finish her education, and eventually became a favorite teacher at Hyalea Secondary School.
He found a home in Hyallea, where he built a life surrounded by friends, colleagues, and most importantly, his family. Garcia married Maria, a US citizen and they had two children together, both of whom were born in the United States for Garcia, this country has become a home in every sense. It was where he works, where his children grew up and where he believes his future will unfold.
But this future will collapse when a mistake has passed.
The moment everything changed
In 2020, Carlos Garcia’s life turned suddenly. Providing conviction for more than a decade earlier, one that has long forgotten has been marked by immigration authorities. Despite the years of life without problems, Garcia was arrested and deported. His family and friends were shocked. The man they knew as a teacher, husband and father was now at risk of being detached from everything he worked for.
For Garcia, the moment when immigration officials arrived at his door and took him away was surreal and devastating. “I was just in shock,” Garcia says. “I thought,” It can’t be real. I lived here for 17 years – this is a home. I have a family here. How can this happen? “
His children, now teenagers, watched their father handcuffed. The pain and confusion in their eyes are still chasing a Garcia. “I see my children to cry like that was the most difficult thing I have experienced in,” he thinks. “I couldn’t promise them anything. I just wanted to hold them, to tell them everything would be fine, but I couldn’t. I had to leave.”
Struggles to start at first in Honduras
The deportation of Garcia was finalized in early 2021 and after spending months in detention, he was sent back to Honduras, a country that he almost admitted. “This is not the same place I left,” Garcia says. “When I left, there was hope for a better future. Now it is difficult to find a job and the opportunities are not what they were before.”
Returning to Honduras meant not only to face the economic struggles of his homeland, but also to the emotional challenge of adapting to a life that no longer felt familiar. Garcia had to learn how to live in a country he had left so long ago. While he has found a job as a teacher, life is much more difficult than he has ever been in the US
But the biggest struggle is not economic – it is emotional. “I miss my family every day. I can’t be there for my children the way before. I can’t hug them or sit with them after school. It hurts the most,” Garcia admits, his voice breaks down with emotion.
The impact on his family: a heartbreaking separation
The separation from his family was incredibly difficult for both Garcia and his wife Maria. “It feels like we are living in two different worlds,” says Maria. “Carlos is still my husband, but he is not here. I talk to him every day, but he is not the same. The children miss him so much. They don’t understand why their father is gone.”
The distance between them has set a huge tension to their family. Maria, a US citizen, has done everything she can to keep her family together, but the emotional fee is separated from her husband is impossible. Children who were once surrounded by the security of their father’s presence are now left to fight his absence.
Garcia’s children still adapt to reality to have their father thousands of miles away. “It breaks my heart to know that I can’t be there for them,” Garcia says. “Every day he feels like a new challenge. My children need me and I feel like I’m ruining them.”
Finding hope in the heat of difficulties
Despite the huge obstacles, Carlos Garcia did not give up hope. He continues to advocate for a change in US immigration laws, calling for more human policies that take into account the impact on families. “I just want to be with my family again. I don’t want this to happen to other families,” he says. “We came here for a better life. I worked hard and contributed to this country. I just want the chance to go home – to my real home where my family is.”
Garcia uses her voice to talk about the emotional deportment fee. His story has become a powerful reminder of personal impact that immigration laws can have not only people but also entire families. He hopes his experience will cause meaningful conversations about the need for an immigration reform that keeps families together.
So far, Carlos remains in Honduras, separated from his family, but one day he is determined to reunite them. “I don’t give up. I’ll do everything I need to be with my family again,” he says with an updated sense of determination.