José Contreras Diaz is one of hundreds of thousands of “Dreamers” who are in legal limbo as the Trump administration continues its attacks on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

In January, Contreras Diaz was arrested at an immigration appointment in Texas and deported to Honduras, a country he left when he was 8 years old. While the 30-year-old was flown back to his home state and later released by immigration authorities, his future remains uncertain. 

“Imagine the agony of being torn apart from the life you know, handcuffed, placed on a plane, dropped off in a country you don’t know, you barely remember,” Contreras Diaz told MS NOW’s “The Weekend: Primetime” on Sunday. 

While he was in Honduras, Contreras Diaz said he felt a “great sense of grief and powerlessness” and was “robbed of foundational moments with his family,” including the birth of his son, Matteo.

“There’s a lingering void that’s left behind in our hearts,” said Contreras Diaz, who first shared his story exclusively with MS NOW’s Laura Barrón-López in April.

Along with the emotional toll his deportation took on his family, Contreras Diaz told MS NOW it also cost him his job.

“My family’s financial status is in shambles,” he said. “We’re just trying to recuperate, get everything back on track.”

During his first term, President Donald Trump attempted to terminate the DACA program, which provides temporary relief from deportation and work authorization for immigrants brought into the U.S. as children, but it was struck down by the Supreme Court. While he has not taken such action since he returned to the White House, the administration has deliberately slow-walked DACA renewals and targeted recipients of the Obama-era program as part of its immigration crackdown. 

As Contreras Diaz explained, every two years, DACA recipients —also known as “Dreamers” — are required to “check in” with the government to renew their DACA status.

“What that means for us is we run this cycle [that] usual citizens don’t usually have to go through, and it pretty much means that our life is in this constant surveillance. You have to take into consideration setting the example, living life responsibly,” he said.

“My journey is only a testament that even if we adhere to the rules, the compliance that we have to follow is still no guarantee against a system that could still break its promise,” Contreras Diaz told MS NOW.

While he’s back in the U.S. now, Contreras Diaz said he still fears being separated from his family again. He spoke about how it felt to hold his son for the first time upon his return, which he described as “one of the most beautiful moments of my life.”

“It’s exactly why I continue to do what I do,” he told MS NOW. “We continue to push forward with faith, with dignity, with resilience, with perseverance, which are pretty much the American values we’ve learned ever since we arrived in this country.”

You can watch Contreras Diaz’s full interview in the clip at the top of the page.

CORRECTION (June 22, 2026, 7:55 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article incorrectly noted that Contreras Diaz was deported last year. He was deported in January of this year, not 2025.

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