LOS ANGELES - Pedro Guzman, the U.S. citizen illegally deported from a Los Angeles County jail on May 11, was reunited with his family today at a Lancaster courthouse after nearly three months lost in Mexico. It ends a harrowing three-month search by the family while the ACLU of Southern California and the law firm of Van Der Hout, Brigagliano and Nightingale sought in vain for assistance from the U.S. government.

'This has been a horrific experience for Mr. Guzman and his family,' said ACLU/SC legal director Mark Rosenbaum. 'Pedro Guzman is safe today not by the actions or compassion of the government that illegally deported him, but by the love and strength of his family.'

Little is known about Mr. Guzman's time in Mexico. He told his family today that he attempted to cross the border several times but was turned away. He said he walked from Tijuana to Mexicali, a distance of more than 100 miles, and ate out of trash cans as he looked for a way back into the U.S. His family says he was nearly unrecognizable, and that they are seeking immediate medical attention for him.

Border agents detained Mr. Guzman as he attempted to cross into the U.S. near Calexico early Sunday morning. County officials had issued a warrant for his failure to appear at probation hearings, despite attempts by the family and ACLU/SC to explain to probation officials that he had been wrongfully deported. The government had promised to immediately notify the family and their attorneys if it found Mr. Guzman. Instead, it took 36 hours for the family to be notified.

Mr. Guzman spent two days in jail before Superior Court Judge Carlos Chung ordered him released Tuesday morning. Late Monday night, ACLU/SC staff had met with Mr. Guzman at Men's Central Jail and confirmed his identity. This afternoon, Sheriff's Department officials transported him from downtown Los Angeles to the Antelope Valley Courthouse, where he was reunited with his mother, Maria Carbajal.

The family's last contact with Mr. Guzman was May 11, when he called his sister-in-law from a borrowed cell phone to say he had been deported to Tijuana. The call cut off, and Carbajal rushed to Tijuana but was unable to locate him.

Immediately after learning of the case, the ACLU/SC and Van Der Hout, Brigagliano and Nightingale went to federal court on June 11 to seek government assistance in the search.

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Photo: Pedro Guzman with his brother Juan Carlos Chabes today in Lancaster

Pedro Guzman, the U.S. citizen illegally deported from a Los Angeles County jail on May 11, was reunited with his family August 7 at a Lancaster courthouse after nearly three months lost in Mexico. It ends a harrowing three-month search by the family while the ACLU of Southern California and the law firm of Van Der Hout, Brigagliano and Nightingale sought in vain for assistance from the U.S. government.

"This has been a horrific experience for Mr. Guzman and his family," said ACLU/SC legal director Mark Rosenbaum. "Pedro Guzman is safe today not by the actions or compassion of the government that illegally deported him, but by the love and strength of his family."

Little is known about Mr. Guzman's time in Mexico. He told his family that he attempted to cross the border several times but was turned away. He said he walked from Tijuana to Mexicali, a distance of more than 100 miles, and ate out of trash cans as he looked for a way back into the U.S. His family says he was nearly unrecognizable, and that they are seeking immediate medical attention for him.

Border agents detained Mr. Guzman as he attempted to cross into the U.S. near Calexico early Sunday morning. County officials had issued a warrant for his failure to appear at probation hearings, despite attempts by the family and ACLU/SC to explain to probation officials that he had been wrongfully deported. The government had promised to immediately notify the family and their attorneys if it found Mr. Guzman. Instead, it took 36 hours for the family to be notified.

Mr. Guzman spent two days in jail before Superior Court Judge Carlos Chung ordered him released Tuesday morning, August 7. Late Monday night, ACLU/SC staff had met with Mr. Guzman at Men's Central Jail and confirmed his identity. This afternoon, Sheriff's Department officials transported him from downtown Los Angeles to the Antelope Valley Courthouse, where he was reunited with his mother, Maria Carbajal.

The family's last contact with Mr. Guzman was May 11, when he called his sister-in-law from a borrowed cell phone to say he had been deported to Tijuana. The call cut off, and Carbajal rushed to Tijuana but was unable to locate him.

Immediately after learning of the case, the ACLU/SC and Van Der Hout, Brigagliano and Nightingale went to federal court on June 11 to seek government assistance in the search.

Remember "vote-swapping"? That was a free-speech experiment launched by a number of websites during the 2000 presidential campaign between George W. Bush and Al Gore. The websites allowed third-party supporters of Ralph Nader in swing states to strategize with major-party voters in "safe" states about "trading" their votes.

A threat of criminal prosecution by the California secretary of state shut the websites down. Nearly seven years later, a federal court decided the Constitution protects vote swaps — just in time for 2008.

"Technology changes the way politics work, but it doesn't alter the basic principles of democracy," said the ACLU/SC's Peter Eliasberg, who argued the case.

The decision will be an important precedent protecting the right of website operators and voters to maintain and use such sites in future presidential elections.