Judge won’t order U.S. to help search for man

A federal judge Wednesday declined to order the U.S. government to help in the search for a developmentally disabled man whose family alleged that he was improperly deported earlier this year to Tijuana, Mexico.

U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson said he was not convinced that he had the authority to order the government to help in the search for Pedro Guzman, a U.S. citizen, but said it would be the “right” and “moral” thing to do.

Pregerson ordered immigration officials to return to court today to present him with an updated status report on Guzman’s case.

Guzman, 29, whose family said he was born in Los Angeles, was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor trespassing in Lancaster earlier this year. In April he was sentenced to 40 days in Los Angeles County Jail.

His family said Guzman called them May 10 to tell them that he had been deported to Tijuana. Jailers turned Guzman over to federal immigration agents after he apparently indicated to authorities at some point that he had been in Mexico.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials denied that anything improper was done in deporting Guzman.

Attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union argued that the U.S. government needed to do more to find Guzman and resolve a situation that it helped create. They also urged help from Mexico.

“The Mexican government should be enlisted to assist” in the search for Guzman, said Mark Rosenbaum, legal director for the ACLU’s Southern California chapter who is handling the case. He said the family had drained its savings trying to find Guzman.

Guzman’s mother, Maria Carbajal, said she left her job as a cook at a Jack in the Box in Lancaster for a month to search for her son in Tijuana.

During Wednesday’s hearing, federal deportation agent Jorge Field said he would issue bulletins to U.S. consulates in Mexico, alerting them about Guzman’s situation.

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sam.quinones@latimes.com