Were you expecting anything different?

An Orange County couple that came to the United States without authorization some 35 years ago, raised three daughters and now have a new grandson were deported to Colombia earlier this week, according to media reports.

Nelson Gonzalez, 59, and his wife Gladys Gonzalez, 55, originally entered the states near San Ysidro before ultimately settling in Laguna Niguel and starting their family.

While the couple tried numerous legal avenues to remain in the country over the years, including appeals to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Board of Immigration Appeals, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told The Orange County Register that the Gonzalezes had “exhausted all legal options to remain in the U.S. between March 2000 and August 2021,” and were ultimately in violation of immigration law.

California couple deported after living in U.S. for 35 years | KTLA

There is something we are missing in this story. Let me expand:

Their three daughters, Gabby, 23, Jessica, 33, and Stephanie, 27, all U.S. citizens, told KTLA that they were devastated when they learned their parents had been detained on Feb. 21 during a regular check-in with U.S. immigration officials.

Any U.S. Citizen, 21 year and older can sponsor their parents for a Green Card. If you have all documentation in order (and it ain’t much) and nothing serious that would preclude you from the process, it is pretty much a done deal to get you a legal immigrant visa. I sponsored my mom when she was here on a Tourist Visa and took her about 8 and a half months rather than the six we were told to get her Green Card because the process got delayed by the aftermath of 9/11. And I know firsthand of a case of an acquaintance from Venezuela who came to the US in the mid 80s, remained illegally, got married, had kids and his oldest kid sponsored him after becoming 21 years of age.

So, this couple either has something nefarious in their background or they didn’t care too much other than doing the bare minimum in hope they would be forgotten and fall between the cracks.