WEST PALM BEACH — Jacob Zapeta-Castro had only seen his children once since his arrest on July 9, the day when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained him outside his Guatemalan Bakery in Lake Worth Beach. When he finally saw them again, this time in a federal courthouse, Zapeta-Castro broke down in tears.
His children watched from the courtroom gallery as their father, accused of illegal re-entry into the United States, entered constrained by shackles and wearing a gray jailhouse jumpsuit, and approached the judge.
Zapeta-Castro was in the court for an arraignment on charges of illegal re-entry into the United States. His attorney, Marc Eiglarsh, told the presiding judge that Zapeta-Castro, who initially entered a not guilty plea,
now plans to change his plea to guilty at his next hearing.
"It's very difficult to defend the fact he had been previously deported," Eiglarsh told The Palm Beach Post after the hearing. "So we are trying to work something out that gets him back to his family as soon as possible."
The hearing was preliminary and procedural. The emotions were raw and searing.
Zapeta-Castro locked eyes with his two sons, his niece and nephew Gilbert Zapeta. His shackles shook as he removed his thick black glasses to wipe tears from his eyes. His youngest son sobbed and buried his head in his hands.
"It's really sad,” said Gilbert Zapeta, Zapeta-Castro's nephew, on July 29 outside a federal courtroom in West Palm Beach. "He is a great dad, and they miss him a lot.”
Differing versions of what happened on the day ICE arrested bakery owner
Zapeta-Castro, owner of El Quetzal Bakery, was detained July 9 during a four-day immigration enforcement operation that ICE and Florida authorities later disclosed yielded 309 arrests in Palm Beach County.
An ICE spokesperson said Zapeta-Castro nearly drove his truck into the car of a patrolling ICE agent before speeding away. Agents reported they pursued the truck without activating their lights or sirens, following Zapeta-Castro back to the bakery where they say he soon "barricaded" himself inside.
Family members and leaders of the Guatemalan-Maya Center in Lake Worth Beach, however, said Zapeta-Castro was driving his children to a doctor's appointment when he saw ICE and Florida Highway Patrol officers in the area.
They said he turned his car around to return to the bakery, locking the door behind him to protect his employees.
More than 20 federal agents subsequently surrounded El Quetzal. Zapeta-Castro surrendered with his hands raised, his two sons sobbing as they watched with a group of 45 people as deputies handcuff their father.
Authorities charged Zapeta-Castro on July 14 with re-entering the country without the "express consent" of U.S. government officials after being removed both in 2013 and 2017, federal court records state. If convicted, Zapeta-Castro faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
A conviction could also result in a permanent ban from the United States.
Family-owned bakery, community impacted by detention of Zapeta-Castro
Zapeta-Castro's family said he had a request for asylum pending before the immigration courts, but according to his Miami-based attorney, Eiglarsh, the criminal courts will deal with the re-entry felony before his asylum request is heard.
Inside the courtroom, Zapeta-Castro constantly turned his face to look at his family sitting on the second row. He repeatedly brought his hands together in a signal of prayer at them.
They remained seated in the courtroom for nearly 20 minutes after the judge moved from their father's case to another. Even though they couldn't talk to Zapeta-Castro, they could at least see him, his son said.
Gilbert Zapeta, who is a manager at El Quetzal, said his uncle's detention has traumatized his children and impacted business at the bakery.
Zapeta-Castro woke up at 4 a.m. every morning to head to the bakery. By 5 a.m. he was already kneading down the first batches of bread along with his son. Now, the bakery is struggling to get by, Zapeta said.
"He always brought so much joy to the bakery," said his niece, who is a minor. "He made everyone feel welcome and without him, it just doesn't feel the same."
Zapeta said he is grateful for the outpouring of support his family and the bakery have received since his uncle's detention.
"We ask that the community please come support the business that Jacob himself founded in 2009," Zapeta said.
Valentina Palm covers immigration and West Palm Beach for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@pbpost.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ValenPalmB.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Lake Worth Beach baker detained by ICE sees children in federal court
