Deportation Threatens to Tear Immigrant Family Apart
The problems undocumented workers face in the U.S. are far more complicated than they look. One solution offered by conservatives is to force them to “go home” and “wait their turn in line”. The solution over-looks practical matters like shredding of families. Marlen Moreno is a good example.
Marlen and her family, facebook
This young lady came to the U.S. at age 13. A child of that age is not considered responsible for her actions nor capable of understanding the consequences or implications of crossing the border “illegally”.
For the next 13 years, Marlen lived in Tucson, Arizona where she went to school, learned English and was the first person in her family to graduate from high school. She married a permanent resident and is the mother of two U.S. citizen sons. Marlen’s dream is to go to college and become a pre-school teacher. She believes motivating students to stick with education and graduate is the path to their success.
According to witness reports, Marlen was in her home with her 8 month old son by her side when ICE showed up. She was arrested and spent four months in detention fighting deportation.
Vincent Picard who handles media relations for Tucson ICE responded immediately to my phone call. He indicated the case had gone to the 9th circuit court of appeals and had been denied. Marlen’s last recourse is the U.S. Supreme Court, not a likely venue for her.
Mr. Picard said he cannot speak directly to Marlen’s case as she has the right of privacy. He said in general, the Obama Administration supports cases where family unity is an issue, a big change from Bush Administration politics. However, as a law enforcement agency, once a case has gone through the appeals process and lost, ICE is bound to follow the rulings. In short, the agency is not likely to intervene on Marlen’s side.
Continued on the next page
Follow Technorati