OAKLAND — After already being deported once following a child sex crime conviction, Jeisson Escobar-Valencia knew staying in the United States was “untenable” as a migrant living in the country illegally, according to federal court filings.
So he bought a one-way ticket to El Salvador, went to San Francisco International Airport for his July 23 flight and passed through security — all with the goal of self-deporting back to his native country.
He made it as far as the jetway.
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Steps away from boarding the airplane, Department of Homeland Security agents swooped in and detained him. The TACA International Airlines direct flight to San Salvador left without him, presumably with his seat in 26A going empty for the 5-hour-plus trip.
Since then, he’s faced a federal crimina