TULSA, Okla. -A Tulsa woman says her father, a longtime local pastor, has been deported to Mexico.Tania Portillo says her father, Pastor Wulfrano Portillo, had been meeting regularly with immigration officials for years while waiting on pending applications.“My dad, for me, he’s my hero. I feel like he has a lot of titles: boss, brother, son, cousin, pastor, friend,” Tania Portillo said.Tania says he has lived in the United States since he was 16. She says he is now alone in a city he has never been to.For decades, Portillo has led services at La Hermosa Church in Tulsa, leading his congregation through Sunday services.But this weekend, his daughter, Tania Portillo, says the church gathered without him.“That was really hard,” Tania Portillo said. What happened Portillo was detained on March 10 during a scheduled immigration check-in in Oklahoma City.“Each time it has been very scary and nerve-racking because we always knew there’s a possibility that they go into that building and they might not come out,” Tania said.While her dad is not a U.S. citizen, Tania says he did have a valid work permit and a Social Security card. She says he was detained because of a removal order.“In 2007, we actually had a car accident, and my parents were detained. Because of that incident, the judge ordered them to leave the country, but my parents have been fighting to stay in this country,” she said. Deportation and aftermath On March 12, the family learned he had been deported to a border town in Mexico.“He had nobody to contact that could make it there. No money, nothing, just thrown out there,” Tania said.Now, the family says they are trying to figure out what comes next while leaning on the same message they say their father preached for years.“I feel like his message has always been, we are here to help. We are here to love on people,” Tania said. “I think that’s the message that he always wanted to get across: that no matter what, we are here to help others.”Tania says pastors in Mexico have reached out to offer her dad support as he figures out where to stay.News On 6 has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security about Portillo’s case and is waiting to hear back. Copy Link copied Email Print Ryan Gillin graduated from the University of Alabama with degrees in News Media and Communication Studies. Ryan joined News On 6 as a multimedia journalist in July 2022. Ryan also leads the Flavor of Oklahoma franchise, spotlighting the best restaurants across Green Country.