Jose Vega-Mendoza had immigrated (illegally) at the age of 2. Twenty-five years later he was deported back to Mexico due to a pair of theft convictions. If his family here in the United States thought their life was difficult before, they are on the brink of financial ruin now.

Mendoza’s sister Sandra Vega already on the dole from the government said she will not be able to support her children as well as those of her brother, ages, 2, 4 and 8. Vega-Mendoza, a 27-year-old from Mexico was deported Sept. 15 for two 2005 theft convictions in Cass and Clay counties of Minnesota.

Because of his actions, both his and his sister’s family are seriously struggling. Part of the reason are attorney’s fees that Vega has amassed in trying to get her brother back in the country.

The cases on both sides of the river stem from the theft of hubcaps and tires from car dealers and came to the attention of immigration officials in 2009 after Vega-Mendoza was arrested for a misdemeanor domestic assault.

Melton declined to follow suit, saying it isn’t fair to treat noncitizens differently than citizens and he did not want to open the door to letting felons take back their guilty pleas.

Vega-Mendoza had for a time served in the Army, and Clay County’s veteran services joined the family in lobbying Melton to call for a judicial reprieve.

The requests came in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in March 2010 requiring defense lawyers to inform their immigrant clients they may be subject to deportation if they plead guilty to felonies and certain other offenses.

Vega insists her brother wasn’t aware he could be deported when he agreed to plead guilty, though there was a phrase in the written plea agreement noting the possibility of deportation.

“He pretty much considered himself American,” she said. “He feels like he’s out of place.”

She said her brother has been robbed on a train in Mexico City by a mugger wielding a knife. He thinks he has little hope of a return to the U.S., she said.

Vega has the same worry after racking up $16,000 in legal fees last year. How to proceed next, she said, is a matter she’s divided about. She wants to do all she can, but can’t handle false hope.