ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Congressman Wesley Bell said Thursday a St. Louis man had been deported, despite the representative’s efforts to keep him in the country. Bell told First Alert 4 Boanerges Flores-Bravo was deported to Nicaragua. “The more I think about my visit to help Mr. Flores-Bravo in the Louisiana detention center, the more disgusted I get with Donald Trump and ICE,” Bell said in a statement. “This is a hard-working man who followed the correct steps to seek asylum and obtain a work permit. Today, he has been taken away from his wife and daughter and shipped to a country thousands of miles away from them. It’s not fair, and it’s not right.” As First Alert 4 previously reported, Alba Matamoro and her husband, Boanerges Flores-Bravo, came to Missouri three years ago from Nicaragua. The couple has been seeking asylum.In late May, the couple went to their routine check-in appointment with ICE. Agents detained Flores-Bravo and released Matamoro with an ankle monitor.Flores-Bravo was then sent to a detention facility in Monroe, Louisiana. Bell traveled there earlier this week to visit him at the Richwood Correctional Center. Matamoro told First Alert 4 her husband worked for the Nicaraguan government and that it’s not safe to go back. She said they’ve attended every appointment to be granted asylum.“Mr. Flores-Bravo told me that prior to me reaching him, he had already been coerced into signing self-deportation paperwork by being told his family would be deported without him if he did not voluntarily sign,” Bell said. “My heart is broken for him and his family. But this is not the end. I vow to hold these officials accountable.”Bell said Thursday he will continue to fight against ICE and the Trump administration’s actions in Congress. Last week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released the following statement:“Boanerges Antonio Flores-Bravo, 52, an illegal alien from Nicaragua, unlawfully entered the United States in 2022. ICE St. Louis arrested him May 18, 2026, for being unlawfully present in the United States. He remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings and will receive full due process under federal law.Alba Del Socorro Matamoro-Hernandez, 50, an illegal alien from Nicaragua, unlawfully entered the United States in 2022. ICE selected her for the Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program, which allows aliens to remain in their communities during immigration proceedings. The program exists to ensure compliance with release conditions and provide important case management services for non-detained aliens.Generally speaking, the mere application for an immigration benefit does not confer legal status to remain in the United States. Illegal aliens receive full due process on the merits of their case before an immigration judge with the Justice Department’s Executive Office of Immigration Review.Being in detention is a choice. We encourage all individuals without lawful status to take control of their departure with the CBP Home app. The United States is offering $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to return to the U.S. the right legal way to pursue the American dream. If not, enforcement actions will result in arrest and deportation without eligibility to return."Copyright 2026 KMOV. All rights reserved.