When a migrant man tried to bring back $ 59,000 to his home country, it was forfeited

A man who illegally entered the country from Guatemala earned money, and when he tried to bring it home country, he was totally forfeited at customs. That amount was as much as $ 59,000 (about 6.8 million yen), and men had fought a court battle for two years, but they were ordered to leave the country by the end of January 2008. Probably confiscated money will not come back.

Mistake costs dishwasher $ 59,000 - CNN.com
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/09/27/immigrant.money/index.html

Pedro Zepeta is an illegal immigrant from Guatemala. I worked after washing dishes in Florida for 11 years, and was sending to home country. I wash dishes at 5.5 US dollars per hour (about 640 yen), which seems to have raised 25 cents (about 30 yen) since I got used to it. Zepeta, who had been saving lives a lot for a long time, had an amount of about $ 59,000 (about 6.8 million yen), and finally it was two years ago that he tried to return to Guatemala with it. When trying to pass security at Fort Lauderdale / Hollywood International Airport, a clerk found the cash in the bag and called the customs official. Zepeta told the staff that "There is $ 59,000 in the bag", the customs confiscated it.

Zepeta did not know because he could not speak English, but in the United States, if he / she has more than $ 10,000 when entering or leaving Japan, it is necessary to fill out a form declaring it, and touching the law if not doing it It seems to be. Customs handed over Zepeta to the Immigration Naturalization Authority after confiscating money. The Immigration and Naturalization Bureau released Zepeta, but began procedures for deportation outside the country. Zepeta hired two lawyers to regain the matter of immigration and money.

According to immigration attorney Marisol Zequeira, when illegal immigrants such as Zepeta challenge to deal with the U.S. government, he says, "If poor, uncultured and illegal, there will be little choice."

Zepeta in the Immigration Court received the news that "You can do washing dishes until the end of January so that you can get out of the country on your own". Although he first became able to work legally in the United States for the first time, he probably will not return $ 59,000.

Zepeta came to the United States had purchased land at home and built houses for mothers and sisters, in the last few years I did not remit money to bring home all at once, but that It seems that it has become a riddle.