live from downtown Detroit local 4 News
first at four starts now
good afternoon everyone I'm Sandra Lee
in for Karen drew first at four we start
with a family's heartbreak we have been
following the story of a Sterling
Heights mother fighting deportation
today that fight is lost at least for
right now Paula Topman has been
following this family's story she's live
in Melvindale and Paula this family just
got some really bad news yeah they did
they say they were not notified of her
actual time and date of deportation the
only way the husband knew was he saw a
credit card charge show up with his
wife's credit card at Metro Airport last
night and then got a call from Germany
early this morning everything is in flux
for the Go czervik family shocked
devastated starting to hit down this
morning before sending three children
off to school Pete had to explain to
them that their mother is gone we were
with the family last week as Pete tried
to manage the role of both mother and
father today the finality of telling his
children that their mother has been
deported having to consult the children
this morning crying there they don't
know the matriarch seal project I was
removed from her cell near Battle Creek
after nearly three weeks in detention
driven to Detroit last night and then
flown away from the country she calls
home despite not being able to achieve
citizenship having just landed in
Albania seal calls and says she was
actually tricked before being put on the
plane
the policeman admitted driving in the
way report she says she is lost in a
country she hasn't known for 18 years
from his restaurant in Melvindale the
Oakwood Country cafe where his wife used
to make the specials he's trying to
figure out what happens next I think
we're finished I don't know how to get
and I know how to see my wife again
I mean sure when the kids would get old
enough but we're gonna be old and gray
his customers are also in shock
you know there's certain circumstances I
think we should know crimes been
committed or you know they've been you
know paying taxes I think you should
make a pathway to citizenship for in an
email communication for the US
Immigration and Customs Enforcement or
ice it's important for your viewers to
understand that this individual had a
decade to litigate her case and the
courts decided she had no lawful basis
to remain in the US this was not an
arbitrary decision by ice
now Sandra you said in the beginning
that we have been covering this story
for about five years and and it really
is important to point out that this is
not an isolated family we can see the
sign here she is the one who made the
soups this was a family they owned a
business they own a home they own
vehicles they have three american-born
children but this is a story that's
being played out all over the country in
many different languages many different
religions and many different
nationalities and Paula what is next now
for this family what's the next step
here you know what they right now
they're reeling they don't really know
they like I said they have a business
they have ten employees we're gonna take
a look at that at six o'clock but as
Pete actually tries to walk us through
how he handles his life and his
children's lives post deportation and
it's a very interesting intimate view of
what happens on the other side of our
immigration policies
Sandra yeah not a cut and dry case
certainly very complicated thank you so
much Paula we will look for you tonight
at six