Could Utah man's deportation have been averted?

Instead of the comforts of home, his wife and children, Ray Jesus is living with his parents in Guatemala, the victim of a suspiciously swift deportation process when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials ripped him from his southern Utah home and shipped him out of the country earlier this week.

Luis Espinoza Muñoz, a facilitator-director for Community Aid and Immigration Services, is working with the Jesus family for Ray's swift return.

Could Jesus' deportation been avoided, or even slowed down?

Espinoza said, "possibly."

Over the years, he has worked with many people facing the same sort of problems.

He said the biggest problem is most of them have no clue of what to do once they find themselves in this situation.

"It's really sad because many have a viable path for residency," Espinoza said. "It's also sad because if USCIS (U.S. Immigration Services) is aware of this, they WILL give the benefit of the doubt to the individual and give some time to fix their situation (that's been my experience with immigration.)"

That clearly didn't happen in this case. Jesus, who came to the U.S. 22 years ago and was granted a political asylum visa, was picked up three weeks ago when, after applying for a driver's license renewal, it was learned that his original visa had expired. Three ICE agents showed up at his home, took him away and put him on a plane to Guatemala -- his native country that he left after his brother was killed by a car bomb during a civil war 22 years ago.

His wife is left to tend to their five children, including one who suffers from autism. His construction business, which employed 10 people last year, sits idle. Jesus sits penniless in his parents' home.

Espinoza has already taken steps to decipher what happened here. He has advised Ray's wife, Kacie, to file a Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) request with the state of Utah to ensure that her husband's record is clean, with no felony arrests. Tuesday, after the long, Labor Day weekend, he will dig further into the case.

Right now, all he can say is:

"It seems too irregular, the speed of the deportation."

Especially on the heels of the Obama administration's new policy regarding immigration and deportation. Under the Obama plan, the 300,000 deportation cases now in front of the government would be handled on a priority basis, pushing those with violent offenses to the head of the deportation list and working to obtain guest worker permits -- at the minimum -- for others.

It appears Jesus would fit into that category. He owns a private construction business, building frames for commercial and residential development in Iron County, Utah. He has worked with more than a dozen local contractors over the years, employed a steady work crew -- even during tough economic times -- and stayed out of trouble with the law, his wife Kacie says.

Meanwhile, Espinoza says that immigrants who find themselves in a similar situation need to seek assistance immediately.

"People need to become aware of what they need to do when they are detained," Espinoza said.

How you can help:

The Ray Jesus Legal Defense Fund has been set up at State Bank of Utah to help the family with expenses. Donations are accepted at any branch. Two PayPal accounts -- rayjesuslegalfund@gmail.com and jesusfamilyfund@gmail.com -- have also been established.

If You Need Immigration Assistance:

luis.espinoza101@gmail.com