When I think of America I think of
a melting pot. A place where all are welcome to come make a life for themselves.
A place of second chances. Growing up in the Midwest this is what you learn.
After all, most of us come from a background of immigrants. I, myself, come from
a rich family history of Irish, French, and English immigrants. This doesn’t exclude our President. He comes from a German ancestry from his father and a Scottish
ancestry from his mother. Despite this he has made it his mission to rip
families apart over the last year.
It all started with the January 25,2017 executive order on immigration signed by Trump. It cracked down on illegal immigration in a more ruthless fashion than former President Barack Obama’s rigid immigration policies did.
This is what the executive order read, as to who should be deported:
(a)
[any immigrants that] Have been convicted of any
criminal offense; (b) Have been charged with any criminal offense, where such
charge has not been resolved; (c) Have committed acts that constitute a
chargeable criminal offense; (d) Have engaged in fraud or willful
misrepresentation in connection with any official matter or application before
a governmental agency; (e) Have abused any program related to receipt of public
benefits; (f) Are subject to a final order of removal, but who have not
complied with their legal obligation to depart the United States; or (g) In the
judgment of an immigration officer, otherwise pose a risk to public safety or
national security.
The deportations and detainments of
people with simple misdemeanors started in February of 2017 with the
deportation of Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos, a 36-year-old mother. She was
arrested while making her routine check-in with immigration in Arizona. He deportation
was widely reported on and highly protested. Since Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos, who
was called Lupita by her friends, the deportations have shown little sign of slowing
down.
To understand the plight of the
illegal immigrants being deported and/or detained, and their families, you must
actually look at them as people instead of statistics; instead of “illegal.” You
must remember that they are your neighbors and your friends; your coworkers and
your pew mates in church; they are the productive members of society that we
pass in the streets every day. Do not allow the image of the “dangerous illegal
immigrant” that the Trump administration portrays to cloud your judgement. If
you want to be technical, most mass shootings committed in the United States are
committed by white men with mental issues that should’ve never had a gun to
begin with.
Hear me out for a second. Let’s
look at a few of the immigrants that have been deported
and/or detained in America
since Trump took office.
Guadalupe García de Rayos
 |
| Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos; Picture Courtesy of ijr.com |
Guadalupe García de Rayos, or Lupita,
was residing in Phoenix, Arizona. Lupita would “check in yearly with
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with no problem for four years, without
incident. On February 8, 2017 Lupita was detained while making her yearly check
in and deported.” This story isn’t unique to Lupita. Immigrants have been “tricked”
into a false sense of security for the last year with these annual check-ins.
García de Rayos is now in Nogales,
Mexico. She has left behind a husband and two children. They are all U.S.
citizens. Activists and protesters came out in force to try to prevent her
deportation, even going as far as to hug the wheels of the van that was attempting
to take her to the airport for deportation.
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| Protester blocking the van from leaving with Lupita; Picture Courtesy colorlines.com |
Yes, Lupita has a criminal record
in the United States. She did what many illegal immigrants have done on and
along the west coast. She was caught with a fake Social Security Number. NOT A
STOLEN ONE, a FAKE one. It was used to obtain employment as an adult.
Lukasz Niec
Lukasz Niec is a staggeringly messed
up case. He was arrested in January of 2018 based on misdemeanor charges that
he obtained over 26 years ago.
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| Lukasz Niec; Picture Courtesy of The Washington Post |
He was 5 years old when his parents
brought him and his sister to the United States from Poland in 1979. It is
reported that this was about two years before the Polish country’s government
declared martial law. He grew up in the U.S.A. and became a lawful citizen, receiving
a Green Card in 1989 and renewing it regularly. Niec also has a well-paying job
as a physician. He specializes in internal medicine at Bronson Healthcare Group
in Kalamazoo, Mich. He told reporters that he doesn’t even speak Polish. He is
American.
Immigration authorities arrested
Niec at his home, just after he had sent his 12-year-old stepdaughter off to
school. A complete surprise to his family seeing as though he has a Green Card.
Per reports, “Niec has been a doctor for more than a decade. He treats patients
at three different Bronson hospitals, and is responsible for scheduling all
physicians in his group, covering about five hospitals in the area, his wife
said. He was picked up by immigration officials on his first day off after
working a week straight, including several double shifts.” His wife is a nurse
at the same hospital.
As of today, it is reported that Niec
is still fighting to stay in this country. He is awaiting removal proceedings.
He has even gone as far as to ask the Governor for help. Per reports, “Gov.
Rick Snyder [of Michigan] received the request on behalf of Lukasz Niec and
forwarded it to the Michigan Department of Corrections Parole Board, the
Kalamazoo Gazette reported Wednesday. He was arrested Jan. 16 for ‘administrative
immigration violations.’”
Luis Plaza Moreno
Luis Plaza Moreno, a father of 6,
was deported in October of 2017 after being pulled over on an icy road. Mr.
Moreno did not have a valid driver’s license on him. Instead of being charged
he was handed over to ICE. The deportation was devastating to the family on many
different levels. One, he was deported quickly and unexpectedly. Two, his
youngest son has Autism. Any change for a child with Autism can be absolutely
devastating.
 |
| Luis Plaza Moreno; Picture Courtesy of bizpacreview.com |
I am a mother of a child with Autism. If I was ripped away from
him for any reason he’d never recover. Despite being a hardworking member
of society since 2002 the U.S. government dropped Moreno off at a bus station
in Mexico with only the clothes on his back, according to reports. This
treatment seems less than humane. They left him with nothing, without his
family.
Cristina Rodriguez-Sagarnaga
Cristina Rodriguez-Sagarnaga’s
story is much like Lupita’s. She was picked up during a regular ICE check-in
that she routinely did annually. The Colorado woman has lived in the United
States since she was 5 years old and has three U.S. citizen daughters. Rodriguez-Sagarnaga
was in the United States with her mother; both of whom were victims of domestic
violence escaping their abuser. Victims of crime and their immediate family
members who have suffered substantial abuse, are eligible for the visas. They
were awaiting decision on their VISA’s when she was picked up.
 |
| Cristina Rodrigues-Sangarnaga; Picture Courtesy of denverpost.com |
Rodriguez-Sagarnaga entered the
country illegally in 2012 after being previously deported. ICE than granted her
a one-year stay of removal on June 20, 2016. Per reports, she requested another
stay, ICE denied it back in June of 2017, without informing her lawyer.
This is a mother being ripped from
her children. One mother of many. This is happening all over the place. Leaving
family members to pick up the pieces. All while doing untold damage to the children
involved.
Marco Tulio Coss Ponce
Marco Tulio Coss Ponce was deported
from Mesa, Arizona in May of 2017. Just like Lupita and Rodriguez-Sagarnaga’s
stories, he was picked-up while doing his routine ICE check-in. He had previously
been allowed to remain in the United States by immigration officials under
supervised release, per reports. He has resided in this country for nearly 20
years. His life is here.
 |
| Marco Tulio Coss Ponce; Picture Courtesy of www.azcentral.com |
Upon deportation he was also
dropped off at a Mexican bus station with nothing but the clothing on his back.
His family is left behind here, trying to pick up the pieces. Marco Tulio Coss
Ponce is also a father leaving behind his child in the United States.
Amer Adi Othman
When reading reports, you find out
that Amer Adi Othman was given only hours to say goodbye to his family via
phone call before being deported. Othman, who is 57, had been detained by ICE
officials after a routine check-in on Jan. 16, 2018.
 |
| Amer Adi Othman; Picture Courtesy of splinternews.com |
He had been preparing to leave the
country of his own accord following a deportation order he had previously received.
This order stemmed from a false claim made by his ex-wife. Despite her recanting
her claim, immigration officials claimed it a “sham” marriage. This marriage
took place back in 1980. That means he has been deported based on claims made before
I was even born, before my mother even graduated high school.
He was initially guarded from
deportation under President Barack Obama’s administration but was targeted following
the election of President Donald Trump. The man who has lived in America for 40
years was hurried onto a plane and sent him back to his native Jordan. This was
done despite his case being taken up by a House committee.
I read an article from the LA Times while researching for this blog that said, “Today's solutions become tomorrow's
problems.” The deportation of nearly 2.5 million undocumented immigrants makes
this statement ring even truer to me. These individuals are more than “undocumented
immigrants” or “illegal,” they are human beings with families. It’s about time
we start treating them as such.
Sources:
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