Minnesota family self-deporting to Ecuador after asylum bid
Jorge Angamarca and his family told CBS Minnesota they came to the U.S. after threats against their daughter in Ecuador.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
2 min read
A Minnesota family self-deporting to Ecuador says it first came to the United States seeking asylum after facing threats back home, according to CBS Minnesota.
Jorge Angamarca and his family are choosing to leave Minnesota and return to Ecuador, CBS News reported in a video segment by Jennifer Mayerle. The family told CBS Minnesota they had come to the U.S. after being extorted for money and warned their daughter could be kidnapped if they did not pay.
CBS News identified Angamarca by name and described the decision as self-deportation, meaning the family is choosing to depart the country themselves and go back to Ecuador.
Why is the Minnesota family self-deporting?
According to CBS Minnesota, Angamarca and his family came to the United States to seek asylum after alleged extortion threats in Ecuador. The report says the family is now choosing to return there, though CBS News did not give further details in its public summary about the status of their asylum case or the timing of their departure.
The danger the family described was direct and personal. They told CBS Minnesota that people were demanding money from them and threatening to kidnap their daughter if the family refused to pay.
CBS News did not identify the people accused of making the threats in its public summary. It also did not report additional information about whether authorities in Ecuador or the United States had investigated the alleged extortion.
What self-deporting means in this case
In the CBS News report, self-deporting refers to Angamarca and his family deciding to leave the United States and return to Ecuador on their own. The public summary does not say that they were physically removed by immigration authorities.
The family’s story sits at the center of two hard realities described in the report: fear in the country they left and the decision to give up life in Minnesota. CBS Minnesota said the family had sought asylum in the U.S., a process used by people asking for protection because they say they fear harm in their home country.
Jennifer Mayerle reported the family’s account for CBS Minnesota, and CBS News published the segment under the title “Family self-deporting back to Ecuador.”
No response from U.S. immigration officials, Ecuadorian authorities or anyone accused of threatening the family was included in the public CBS News summary.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.