Cortez Martinez, a DACA recipient and father of three from Kansas, feared he wouldn’t be able to return to the U.S. after traveling to Mexico, a country he left at the age of four.
His family in Roeland Park embraced him in a tearful yet joyful reunion at Kansas City International Airport.
More than two weeks earlier, U.S. Customs and Border Protection detained Cortez Martinez at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport after a short trip to Mexico to visit his grandfather’s grave.
He was trying to return to Kansas City but was instead detained, questioned, and sent back to Mexico City on March 23.
Cortez Martinez, who has DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) status, had never returned to his birth country after being brought to the U.S. as a toddler.
His father, a farmworker, worked in California’s vineyards. Before his trip, Cortez Martinez applied for and received approval to travel and return to the U.S. through a process known as “advance parole.”
His case highlights how even immigrants who “do everything the right way” can still face challenges, according to Rekha Sharma-Crawford, the immigration attorney from Kansas City who filed a lawsuit on April 2 on behalf of Cortez Martinez in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Texas.
The case, which first gained national attention, was ultimately resolved without a judge hearing it after the government requested additional time to respond.
When Cortez Martinez was detained in Dallas, he recalled that confusion arose after a supervisor was called over.
He was told that he had been ordered removed in absentia on June 11, 2024, and that his travel documents were issued by mistake. However, Cortez Martinez claimed he was never notified of this order.
“I never got any notice,” he said, explaining that he keeps track of his DACA renewal paperwork.
His current DACA status remains valid until October 2026, and he will now have the opportunity to address the removal proceedings in Kansas City’s immigration court, said Sharma-Crawford.
“I trust you,” Cortez Martinez told his attorney. “Let’s talk as soon as possible.”
His children, who had made a poster with personal messages for him, greeted their father with Mylar “Happy Birthday” balloons.
Cortez Martinez celebrated his 40th birthday during his time away, and several family members had also recently celebrated birthdays.
Laughing, he embraced his wife and declared, “We’ll have one single party.”
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