Mentally ill man facing deportation asks Sacramento judge for psychiatric treatment first
A Central Valley man with schizophrenia who was deported in 2019 but came back into the United States last year was sentenced to eight months in federal prison, in part as a way to access medications that could stabilize his condition before being sent back to Mexico for a second time, records show.
Eric Amavizca-Ayala came to the United States as a small child and has two brothers living in Manteca who are United States citizens, according to a sentencing memo submitted by his attorneys in federal court in Sacramento. He was deported after being convicted of robbery, but in October of last year was again apprehended in the U.S.
On Tuesday, he was sentenced by Judge John A. Mendez after pleading guilty to one count of entering the United States illegally as a “deported alien.”
In a sentencing request filed last week, Amavizca-Ayala said that if he were sentenced to eight months in federal prison before deportation, he could be treated for his mental illness before returning to Mexico, making him more able to handle the transition.
In arguing for the sentence, which was at the lower end of sentences that Mendez could impose, the request said that Amavizca-Ayala had been treated for schizophrenia in Stockton and that he did not pose a threat to the community.
“An 8-month sentence is also long enough for Mr. Amavizca to obtain psychiatric care and drug treatment in the Bureau of Prisons so that when deported he will be in good condition,” the request said.
Prosecutors also agreed with the sentence, saying that it was long enough to deter Amavizca-Ayala from coming back into the country illegally.
