Deported NJ Parents Say Goodbye To Their 3 Children

They were here longer than their children have been alive. On Friday, the Campos parents faced their family in an emotional send-off, and said goodbye.

It was a sad, final chapter in a long saga involving a South Jersey family that had been petitioning the U.S. government for weeks to let them stay in America after 30 years. They enlisted the help of Sen. Corey Booker and others to help them through the process.

In the end, they were all denied. On Friday morning, Oscar Campos and his wife, Humberta, left Bridgeton and were on a plane to Mexico.

Their three children — 24, 22 and 16 years of age — stayed behind, the latest symbols of an immigration crackdown driven by the Trump administration that's led to the breakup of families, and generated controversy.

"I feel very sad, very sad, more for my kids," Oscar Campos, accompanied by his wife, told NBC10 before their 6:30 a.m. departure from Newark Liberty International Airport on Friday. "I never thought this would happen...We are a hard working family."

Booker's office blamed the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on immigration, saying the president "callously" targeted New Jerseyans and other immigrants who have played by the rules, but they're still forced to go.

“The immigration policies proposed by the Trump Administration stand in stark contrast to some of our most fundamental American values and callously target New Jerseyans who contribute so much to what makes our state and nation strong," Thomas Pietrykoski, a Booker spokesman, told Patch.

Indeed, President Trump has pushed for a major crackdown that's targeted illegal immigration and led to the deportation of people who have been in the United States for long periods of time. In January, Trump signed an executive order that gave federal agents freedom to arrest any and all undocumented immigrants, regardless of their length of stay.

Efforts to obtain comment from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency were unsuccessful Friday. The Campos family went through a lengthy effort to obtain work visas and remain in South Jersey. This week, they learned that all efforts failed.

Pietrykoski said the Trump administration refused to relent, even when presented information that the Campos couple were perfectly suitable for remaining in the United States.

"Mr. and Mrs. Campos’ case reinforces the urgent need for us to stand united in seeking common sense solutions to our broken immigration system that are consistent with our core American principles," he said. "While Senator Booker’s office worked for months with the Campos family and federal officials on this case, we are extremely disappointed that ICE has denied the request for a stay of removal and saddened to see another family needlessly torn apart.”

On Friday morning, Oscar Campos said through tears that the distance would not separate their family, according to NBC10. "There is no distance. I will always have them in my heart," he said.

Campos gave his children some parting advice just as he and his family prayed and said goodbye, according to NBC10:

"Fight for your dreams because life continues and you will always find good people that support you...There are a lot of good people. Don't give your hopes up."

Photo Oscar Campos courtesy of NBC10.com