Dominican Father with Green Card Faces Deportation over Minor Offenses

New York: The detention of Heury Secundino Gómez Grullon, a Dominican father and lawful permanent resident of the United States for more than two decades, highlights a growing threat to thousands of Latino immigrants: the loss of a Green Card for non-violent offenses committed years ago.

This case underscores a disproportionately punitive system. On August 5, 2025, ICE agents arrested Gómez Grullon at Newark International Airport in New Jersey as he returned from a short trip to Mexico. The detention is based on minor 2017 infractions, even though the original charges were reduced by a court to three lesser offenses with minimal sentences that he already served.

For 20 years, Heury has paid taxes, worked, and raised his son Noah, an 18-year-old U.S. citizen with severe disabilities. In March 2025, the Bronx Family Court granted him full and permanent custody, citing his “constant devotion” and medical training to care for Noah, who depends on a tracheostomy and assisted feeding.

Today, Heury is being held at the North Lake Processing Center in Michigan, hundreds of miles from his son, while facing a deportation process that could tear his family apart.

Rights of a Lawful Permanent Resident

Lawful permanent residents, commonly known as Green Card holders, have fundamental rights that include, Living and working permanently in the United States; Applying for U.S. citizenship after meeting residency requirements; Family reunification, protected by the Constitution and immigration laws and Protection from deportation for minor offenses when the petty offense exception of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA §212[a][2][A][ii][II]) applies.

Immigration attorneys note that Heury’s convictions fit this exception, as they were minor offenses carrying sentences of less than six months.

The case of Gómez Grullon is a warning to the entire Latino community, old infractions, even when resolved, can still be used to initiate deportation proceedings, separating families and undermining acquired rights.

We urge members of Congress, state senators, community leaders, and elected officials to speak out and press the Department of Homeland Security to uphold the rights of Heury and his son Noah. The Dominican community in New York has already launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover legal defense costs. Every contribution is critical to prevent a harsh interpretation of the law from destroying a family already recognized by the family court as inseparable.

Final Call

Heury’s story is more than an immigration file; it is the struggle of a father who represents thousands of Latino permanent residents facing the same risk. His case demands an immediate, coordinated response from the diaspora, civil society, and elected representatives to protect the rights and dignity of those who, like Heury, have made the United States their true home.