Sorry but I smell something wrong with the initial story. The man was permitted to stay in this country for so long, why NOW is he pending deportation? If he has NO CRIMINAL RECORD, is gainfully employed, give him a Green Card and leave him alone. There are numerous such families in the U.S. with similar stories. Something is amiss.
This individual entered the country without permission and was allowed to remain for years even after being ordered to leave. Yet rather than being grateful for the time he was given, he is complaining because it is not being made permanent. In these cases, my sympathy is on an equal level with their gratitude.
The law was not followed by those appointed to carry out enforcement. That’s a problem that doesn’t reflect poorly upon the law, but upon those tasked with it’s enforcement, the interval in which any illegals were given a pass.
There is no statute of limitation upon law pertaining to foreign nationals.