“There should be no reason why you could see somebody with that resume in America and think they don’t belong here,” said one supporter of California Youth Connection advocate Axel Pecero. “He’s working to become something, and the type of person you would want in your community.”
After nearly eight months of detention in one of this country’s most notorious immigrant detention facilities, a former Los Angeles County foster youth and advocate has decided to voluntarily leave the United States for Mexico, leaving behind a 4-year-old son and dozens of supporters.
In the coming days, Axel Pecero, 25, will arrive in his birthplace, a country he has not returned to since being brought to this nation at age 3 by his grandmother.
His friends and supporters attended Pecero’s afternoon hearing at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in a remote part of San Bernardino County.
“I just feel defeated,” said former foster youth Clarissa Peña. “We’ve been fighting this since August, and it feels so disappointing to have it end like this.”
Pecero, a well-known advocate for young people in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, was picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in August. The Imprint detailed Axel’s story — and the push by child welfare advocates to win his release — in a two-part series published in November. The former San Pedro resident is known locally and in the state capitol not only for advocacy on behalf of his peers, but also for sharing his story of being raised by kin caregivers and struggling with homelessness.
Burbank police officers had stopped him in the early morning of Aug. 6, after he got lost returning to his hotel for a work-related conference about youth with substance and behavioral health issues.
He’s been held at Adelanto since then, hoping to appeal a deportation order at a time when the Trump administration has deported thousands of immigrants in an unprecedented crackdown. Pecero was targeted because he is undocumented and had been arrested as a youth for driving without a license and for joyriding. Pecero was never convicted for the traffic-related charges, but they were cited by the immigration court.
“I just feel defeated. We’ve been fighting this since August, and it feels so disappointing to have it end like this.”
Clarissa Peña, former foster youth
Earlier this month, immigration Judge Curtis White declined to release Pecero on bond. Such a ruling would have allowed him more time to gather evidence to bolster a petition for release based on his support for his 4-year-old son Ajay, who he planned to argue would be harmed by his deportation.
But Bryce Daly, an attorney with Al Otro Lado who represented Pecero, said recent court rulings and federal policy of late has restricted the use of this type of deportation relief to extreme medical cases.
If Pecero’s bid to remain in the country was ultimately denied in court, he could have faced deportation and a ban on re-entering the country for up to 20 years.
By self-deporting, Daly said, Pecero may improve his chances of returning sooner to see his son. While much may depend on the discretionary decisions of border officials, Pecero could be eligible to see his son within the next three years.
“This is not the outcome we wanted, but it’s the best outcome for Axel,” Daly said after the hearing Wednesday, which was attended by an Imprint reporter.
Seven supporters attended Pecero’s final hearing, including four former foster youth. After tossing them smiles and waves from the courtroom, he told the judge he would agree to a voluntary departure.
Many of his friends and former colleagues with the foster youth advocacy group California Youth Connection held back tears. Before the hearing concluded, White told Pecero that “the court wishes you the best.”
One supporter yelled out in anger, calling Judge White a “coward” — leading bailiffs to quickly clear out the group.
After the hearing, some of his friends appeared dazed. Josh Boykin, a former foster youth and Los Angeles County Youth Commissioner, said he was outraged by the court’s failure to hear about Pecero’s life as a father, student and passionate advocate.
“There should be no reason why you could see somebody with that resume in America and think they don’t belong here,” Boykin said. “He’s working to become something, and the type of person you would want in your community.”
The gradual goodbye began Sunday. Pecero was able to see his son Ajay for the first time in more than seven months. He took the boy onto his lap for a hug during visitation hours, his supporters said.
The next time Pecero will be able to see Ajay, however, is not clear. He will likely be flown to Mexico during the next few days. The destination could be border city Tijuana or the far-flung southern Mexican state of Tabasco. Daly said Pecero would have access to transitional housing and support from aid organizations for a couple nights as he looks for refuge with family.
Pecero has told those close to him that he hopes to head to the beach town of Cancún, where his mother now lives. He has not seen her for nearly two decades, but is hoping to start a new life there. His future livelihood is unknown, so supporters have continued to raise funds for Pecero and his son through a Venmo account.
They have also readied a 40 lb.-suitcase that the U.S. government allows immigrants to take with them in voluntary removals. They hope to add shoes, documents and a phone charger for Pecero’s next chapter.
As the group prepared to leave Adelanto on Wednesday, they received a surprise. Pecero called from inside the lockup to say goodbye.
He told them he loved them. “It means so much to me that you came today,” Pecero said as a reporter listened in.
His friends wished him safe travels, and many promised to visit later this year.
“We’re gonna see you as soon as possible, bro,” Boykin told him. “It’s gonna feel like you never left.”
