South Bay father, son deported to Honduras speak out: 'I was scared to come here'

A father and son who were living in the South Bay are speaking out after they did what the government told them to do and then were deported.

Martir Garcia Benegas and his son Martir Garcia Lara were taken into custody after showing up to an immigration appointment in Los Angeles.

The 4th-grader and his father are now living in Honduras, in the same town they left in 2022.

Nearly two weeks ago, Benegas says he and his son went to the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles for his immigration hearing.

"I fear I may be deported, and I can't leave my son, so I'm taking him with me," Benegas said in Spanish. "I woke him up really early, showered and all."

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained both of them, separating them for a time on May 29. They were flown to Houston and then deported to Honduras.

"I was scared to come here," Lara said in Spanish. "I wanted to stay over there with my brother."

Benagas says his older son, Kevin, is living with relatives in Southern California now and attending college.

"It hurts me that Kevin stayed behind. He's older already, but it still hurts me," Benegas said. " All of his life, he has been with me."

Lara was a 4th-grader at Torrance Elementary School. He says he misses his friends back in Southern California.

"I want to see my friends again," Lara said. "All of my friends are there. I miss all my friends very much."

Torrance Unified School District tells Eyewitness News they're doing all they can to support the family.

'They're being cruel with people. They're behaving... I don't know," Benegas said about the raids. "You see things that are inhumane."

Benegas says he's working with an attorney to secure a visa for his son so he can return to Southern California.