He tried to ‘self-deport.’ U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested him anyway

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — In February, just a few weeks after President Donald Trump returned to Washington for a second term, Jose Luis Perez Lopez decided to leave the country.

Perez — a Mexican citizen with no legal status in the United States — attempted to walk across the bridge from Roma to Miguel Aleman.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested him.

“He tried to do the right thing,” Assistant Federal Public Defender Yvonne M. Gomez said on July 15, when Perez appeared in court for sentencing. “He’s paid attention to the news. He’s paid attention to: ‘People need to just leave, self-deport. It’s better for you if you self-deport.’”

Gomez questioned why the government decided to prosecute Perez for attempting to leave the country.

“Mr. Perez actually was at the bridge,”