A Mexican national who entered the country without authorization more than two decades ago, Hernandez feared he would be detained and deported when he showed up for his check-in with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement the following month.

For years, Hernandez had been showing up for routine meetings with ICE in downtown Atlanta, something he was ordered to do after his 2013 conviction for driving without a license. Then it happened. ICE took him into custody at his check-in on March 9 and is now preparing to deport him to Mexico.