Oceanside Minister Who Supported Trump During Election May Be Deported

Ramirez's three children are U.S. citizens

An Oceanside Minister who supported Donald Trump as he ran for president now faces deportation.

Jorge Ramirez, an Oceanside Apostolic minister, has been in the U.S. since he was 11 years old. 

His wife, Silvia, says they feel betrayed by the president.

β€œHe said he was going to deport people with criminal records, bad people. My husband is not a bad person; he doesn't have a criminal record,” she told NBC 7.

Ramirez was detained on May 31 and has been in the Otay Mesa Detention Center since then. Ramirez’s wife and three children were inside their home sleeping when Ramirez was detained while getting ready for work.

We're hard-working people,” she said. β€œWe’re just trying to live here with our kids.”

Silvia said the couple supported Trump for religious reasons. 

β€œWe didn’t think about the immigration side – but now that he’s in this situation – he [Trump] lied to us,” she said. 

Attorney Ruben Salazar said they will file a motion to advance the bond hearing set for August 4 to July 17, the same day as Ramirez's deportation hearing.

β€œHe's been here for over 30 years, he's a tax-paying home-owning individual,” Salazar said.

Silvia says she wants to be strong for her children.

β€œWe're just waiting and having faith in God,” she said. β€œ[Trump] needs to change the law.”

In November 2015, Trump told MSNBC's "Morning Joe," "You're going to have a deportation force, and you're going to do it humanely." 

A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson responded to NBC 7’s request for comment, saying:

β€œJorge Ramirez-Navarrete was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol on May 31, 2017 after agents had established that he was illegally residing in the U.S. and determined he had not previously filed immigration petitions or changes made to his immigration status on his behalf.”

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