Wife says 'I can't be mad at Trump' following husband's deportation

Cindy Garcia's husband of 15 years, Jorge, was deported back to Mexico in early 2017 after years of battling to stay in the United States. In a recent interview, his wife says that President Donald Trump isn't to blame for her family's separation.

What's the backstory here?

Jorge Garcia was brought to America as a child, and lived in the country for almost 30 years before his deportation.

"My husband was here illegally and that was the only crime he committed at 10 years old," Cindy Garcia said. "I understand that I am an American citizen and that our borders need to be protected against terrorists, but my husband is not a terrorist. My husband is not a drug dealer. He is not a criminal."

In 2006, a judge ordered Jorge Garcia to leave the United States, and he appealed the decision in 2008. Then, in 2009, he became "subject to a final order of removal."

Jorge Garcia was able to stay in the country during the Obama administration. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement: "ICE exercised prosecutorial discretion on multiple prior occasions in Mr. Garcia-Martinez's case in 2011, 2012 and 2014."

The Garcias have two children, and their family's story drew attention back in January when their goodbyes were recorded and went viral.



So, now what?

On Tuesday, Cindy Garcia appeared on CNN to discuss Jorge's deportation, and host Brooke Baldwin expressed surprise at Cindy's calm demeanor and lack of animosity toward the Trump administration.

In response, Cindy Garcia said, "Yes, I am not upset at our government due to the fact that I am a U.S. citizen and that our laws come first. Our laws are just broken and need to be fixed, but I can't be mad at Trump for doing his job because that is his job to protect us, as U.S. citizens, from criminals.

"The only thing is, my husband was not a criminal and those are the laws that need to be fixed because they are broken for the people ... brought as children, doing the right thing, and have never committed a crime."

She added: "For the criminals that have come here illegally, they need to go back."

Baldwin responded, "A lot of people would be critical of this administration and I'm not hearing criticism from you."