The family of DACA recipient Carlos Zurita is waiting on his return to San Antonio after he got stuck in Mexico due to a visa processing delay.
SAN ANTONIO — A DACA recipient who has spent nearly his entire life in Texas is currently stuck in Mexico, at least for now.
Carlos Zurita was born in Mexico but brought to Fredericksburg, Texas when he was just 2-years-old. Last month, he returned to Mexico for the first time since he was a toddler to attend an official visa interview. Following the interview, he said his case was placed in administrative processing.
Carlos graduated from high school in Fredericksburg and later moved to San Antonio. In 2012, he became a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
He renewed his DACA status every two years. But when he got married in 2018, Carlos decided to pursue a path to U.S. citizenship—something not available under DACA alone.
His wife, Kendall Zurita, spoke to us from their home in San Antonio, where she has been raising their four children on her own for the past month.
“This is his home,” Kendall said.
The couple married in 2018 and soon after hired Attorney Monica Saenz to begin the process of obtaining a green card and eventually, citizenship.
“Right after we got married, we started the process,” Kendall said.
As part of that process, Carlos had to travel to Juarez, Mexico for an official visa interview. The interview took place on May 22. The couple believed everything had gone smoothly.
“It should have been open and shut,” Kendall said. “He has nothing that bars him from here. I’m a citizen, our kids are citizens.”
Saenz told KENS 5 in an email that Carlos has never been convicted of a crime and has passed multiple background checks. However, his case was still placed in administrative processing—a designation that comes without explanation and offers no clear timeline for a decision.
Kendall said they were initially told to expect an update within 30 days.
“We’re past 30 days and we haven’t heard anything,” Kendall said.
Carlos owns a landscaping business, which Kendall is now helping to manage while also working her own job and running their household.
“We all went for Father’s Day. It was really hard—everyone being together and him left by himself,” she said.
The situation is not only emotionally exhausting but financially draining. Kendall said they are spending up to $600 a week on a hotel room for Carlos. In addition, they’ve spent nearly $15,000 in legal fees over the past several years.
“I mean, that’s a long time to wait and a lot of money to spend,” Kendall said.
She said they have followed every legal step in navigating the immigration system and remains confident her husband will return home, eventually.
“I mean, they tell us it could be a couple of weeks, a couple of months or it could be up to a year,” she said.
The family has started a GoFundMe to help cover the unexpected expenses. So far, it has raised more than $2,800.