MAN DEPORTED TO BRAZIL LOOKING TO MAKE A NEW LIFE THERE

AKRON, Ohio (AP) -- A man deported to Brazil in November because of a
marijuana conviction said he's trying to make a new life for himself while
staying in touch with his American family.

Nancy Saunders and Jim Herbert adopted Joao Herbert when he was 8. They
decided not to have him naturalized until he could understand how special it
was to become a U.S. citizen.

Joao was arrested with two friends in 1997 for selling 7 1/2 ounces of
marijuana to an undercover Wadsworth police agent. He was convicted of
trafficking in marijuana and put on probation.

While at a drug rehabilitation center, Herbert learned that the Immigration
and Naturalization Service was seeking to have him deported under a 1996 law
that made any noncitizen convicted of anything but the most minor offense
subject to mandatory deportation.

After only a few days in a country where he was warmly welcomed, given
shelter and treated to meals in nice restaurants, the 22-year-old Herbert
thought living might not be so hard in Brazil.

``I look forward to meeting people and living a good life in Brazil,'' he
told the Akron Beacon Journal for a story published Sunday.

After an initial stay at a homeless shelter, Joao moved in with a Brazilian
family in Campinas, a city near Sao Paolo, and began teaching English and
working for an import/export company.

His parents have been trying to send him money each month to help with room
and board. His mother has been communicating with Joao through e-mail and
infrequent phone calls.

In an e-mail message, Joao Herbert expressed his anger at the U.S.
government, particularly the INS.

``I feel that they didn't care about my mother and father when they deported
me,'' he said. ``You think that I should come back, but with all that's
happened to me, I am happy where I am.''

But while he may be adjusting to his new life, a letter Joao wrote to his
mother the night before he was deported showed he was painfully aware of
what he was leaving behind.

``I'm going to try my best to show you that you raised the best son in this
world,'' he wrote. ``I wish God could keep us together, but he's keeping you
in my heart.''