A legal U.S. resident has been deported for a marijuana conviction more than 20 years old. Fanny Lorenzo is now living with family in Nicaragua, the country she left in the 1980s to flee civil unrest. In a telephone interview from her new home in Managua, Lorenzo said she could not foresee her predicament.
“I never thought they were going to deport me. I’m not a delinquent,” Lorenzo said. “I thought for sure, this was 20 years ago, if they see my record, my record is impeccable.”
Legal Resident Fled Central American Strife
After fleeing Nicaragua, Lorenzo crossed the border without authorization at Brownsville, Texas and settled in Miami. She then became a legal resident alien in 1995 after marrying Endy Lorenzo, a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico.
Two years later, the couple was arrested by federal agents for their part in an illegal cannabis growing operation. Fanny cooperated with investigators and was sentenced to five years probation for her limited participation in the operation. She also repaid more than $10,000 to Florida Power and Light for electricity stolen to power the indoor grow rooms.
Fanny said her husband, who served five years in prison, was the leader of the operation.
“I was young, and I didn’t know any better,” she said. “I didn’t feel I was the guilty one. My husband was the guilty one.”
Woman Built New Life in the U.S.
After pleading guilty, Fanny divorced her husband, completed her probation with no problems, and was never arrested again. She held a warehouse job for years and saved enough to purchase a mobile home for her and her young son, who now serves in the U.S. Army. She studied and became a state-licensed dental technician. She maintained her