Over a Broken Tail Light! Mexican Immigrant Describes the “Hell” He Endured After Being Detained and Deported

Adrián Cruz Godines Was Arrested Over a Broken Tail Light After 30 Years of Work

He Endured Overcrowding and Extreme Cold; Considered Suicide

Now Fighting From Mexico to Reunite With His Family

The story of Adrián Cruz Godines, 56, reflects an invisible tragedy shared by millions.

This is not the story of a criminal, but of a man who for 30 years was the backbone of a family, a trusted handyman in an Atlanta community, and a father who prioritized his children’s well-being over his own legal status.

Today, Adrián is in Tultitlán, State of Mexico, trying to learn how to manufacture window blinds to survive after being torn away from the life he built stone by stone over three decades — this is the story of a Mexican immigrant deported after a traffic stop.

The American Dream: From Engineering to Plumbing

Adrián with his two sons, whom he dreams of seeing again (PHOTO: Courtesy of Adrián Cruz Godines) – Mexican immigrant deported after traffic stop

Adrián arrived in Atlanta on November 11, 1995. In Mexico, he was studying engineering, but a lack of opportunities pushed him north.

He started from the bottom, collecting trash at construction sites under the Georgia sun, until he found his calling in plumbing. “Most Mexicans come with the idea of improving themselves, trying to build a better life,” Adrián explains.

For three decades, his status was “undocumented,” but his conduct reflected that of a model citizen.

Jeff Skelton, an American who hired him years ago and became his closest friend, describes him firmly: “I would describe Adrián as a great American. He came for an opportunity, brought his family, worked hard, and kept his head down. He was a family man you could easily see at the park on the weekend and not notice any difference.”

Mexican Immigrant Deported After Traffic Stop: A Sacrifice for Family

Adrián speaks about his detention (PHOTO: Courtesy of Adrián Cruz Godines)

Despite separating from the mother of his children, Adrián never left.

When she suffered two strokes due to stress caused by immigration raids, he returned home to care for her and raise their twin sons, now 30 years old and working in construction.

While caring for others, Adrián never had the time — or legal guidance — to fix his own immigration status.

“That’s what hurts me the most, that I never had the chance to fix anything for myself… I was always focused on my family,” he says, his voice breaking.

Adrián Cruz Godines’ Arrest: A Case of Mistaken Identity and a Broken Tail Light

Adrián Cruz Godines as a young man when he arrived in the U.S. – Mexican immigrant deported after traffic stop

Adrián’s downfall was not due to a serious crime, but to the fragility of living “in the shadows.”

A broken tail light on his truck led to a traffic stop.

Although he paid his fines and completed community service, at his third follow-up appointment Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were waiting for him.

What followed, he says, was a nightmare of dehumanization. At the Atlanta detention center, Adrián witnessed how the system often disregards names.

When it was time for transfers, officers called out a name that was not his. “I am not that person,” Adrián protested.

The officer’s response was blunt and final: “You’re going.” Under what he claims was a mistaken identity and without clear due process, he was sent to the Stewart detention center — deepening the ordeal of the deported Mexican immigrant.

Hell in Stewart: “I Wanted to Take My Own Life”

Adrián Cruz Godines dreams of returning to the U.S.

The Stewart detention center in Georgia was not just confinement for Adrián; it was, in his words, systematic dehumanization.

“I’ll be honest, there was a moment when I wanted to take my own life because it’s very intense,” Adrián confesses, recalling the weight of despair.

“It’s very harsh. Some people would say, ‘I’d rather take voluntary departure,’ just to get out of there.”

Overcrowding was the first blow. Although the F Unit cells were designed for 60 people, the reality was suffocating.

“There were between 75 and 80 of us… sometimes more than 100. The jail has a capacity for 3,000 people and there were more than 5,000. Every day people were coming in from New York, Charlotte, Tennessee.”

Three Pillars of What Adrián Cruz Godines Calls Inhumane Treatment

Adrián worked as a plumber and in construction. – Mexican immigrant deported after traffic stop

Cold and illness as punishment: Air conditioning was kept at extreme temperatures, turning cells into iceboxes while detainees grew sick. “I was very sick. We had fevers, colds, I don’t know what virus was going around, but there was constant coughing… and you didn’t get medical assistance. You had to fill out a form and wait in desperation, not knowing what was happening to you.”

Hunger as a tool: Food, he says, was another form of hardship. “Almost all the time it was potatoes in different forms. A piece of bread, potatoes, and coffee. Once a month they gave chicken.” He recalls that when he arrived in Mexico, simple beans with eggs felt like a feast after two months of inadequate meals.

Psychological pressure: The uncertainty and hostile treatment from guards were constant. Adrián recounts that even Latino agents showed no mercy. “When they took me off the bus, a Latino ICE agent checked me, and when he saw the handcuffs, he tightened them until they were extremely tight… that’s not right.”

Solidarity: The Only Light Among Detainees

Adrián Cruz Godines at his plumbing job.

Adrián remembers a Panamanian airline pilot who became a translator and guide for new arrivals.

“He was the first person who reached out to me. When you get there, you’re terrified… he translated for us and at night he would pray; he always cared about everyone.” That shared humanity kept Adrián from giving up. “Thanks to my fellow detainees who told me, ‘Let’s stay strong, don’t lose hope,’ I was able to continue.”

After a military flight and bus ride, he arrived in Matamoros. There, the irony struck him: the Mexican government received them with a sandwich and beans with eggs — a feast compared to detention.

A New Beginning for Adrián Cruz Godines in Tultitlán, Mexico

Jeff, his American friend, continues advocating for him.

Adrián Cruz Godines returned to Mexico City on December 12, the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Reuniting with his mother after 30 years was an emotional shock.

Though he is trying to adapt, the sense of injustice remains.

Jeff continues to speak out: “Until it’s someone you know, it doesn’t hit you. Once it happens to a friend, you see it differently. Adrián is the norm, not the exception. He’s not a criminal; he’s a law-abiding citizen.”

Adrián closes his story with a plea for dignity: “Not even real criminals are treated as badly as we are — working people. We’re not bad people; we just want a better future for our families.”

The Final Goodbye: A Consolation Amid Tragedy

Adrián with his family in Mexico – Mexican immigrant deported after traffic stop

Despite the pain of deportation, fate granted Adrián a moment of peace that would have been impossible had he remained undocumented in Atlanta.

His father recently passed away, and Adrián was able to be there to say goodbye.

“For me, that was very special. God gave me the opportunity to be with him in the final moments of his life,” he says, moved.

Had he not been forced to return to Mexico, he would have had to grieve from afar, separated by a border that would have prevented him from saying a final farewell to the man who gave him life.

Filed as: Adrián Mexican immigrant deported