In past years, Sandra Hernandez, executive director of the Colorado Springs nonprofit Centro de la Familia and a licensed clinical social worker, spent her days helping Hispanic and immigrant families with run-of-the-mill issues: parenting skills, marital problems, children struggling in school.
But recently, Centro has given its free or low-cost counseling to families with bigger troubles. Hernandez is seeing depressed kids, even suicidal kids. And they all have something in common: a parent or loved one who’s been deported.
The trend began several years ago, after Colorado enacted several laws to crack down on illegal immigration, and it hasn’t eased since. Hernandez says that now, she’s worried about some politicians’ campaign-trail promises to bring Arizona’s rigid new immigration law to Colorado.
In one recent case, a father was facing deportation, to the horror of his two young sons—both American citizens.
“You could tell that dad was very nurturing, spent a lot of time with his boys, played a lot of soccer with his boys, took them to the movies, that they went fishing … and when dad was in jail for three months, these kids really deteriorated,” Hernandez says. “The one little boy, the oldest one, he became suicidal; he was making suicidal threats. I think he was about 9 or 10 … and he was basically saying, ‘I’m going to kill myself. I’m going to hurt myself. I don’t want to live.'”
Imagine, Hernandez says, being a child afraid that someone would invade your home and take your mom or dad—or even you—away to some strange place. Mexico. A place you’ve heard about where heads show up without bodies.
Most often, she says, kids she sees are worried about a father who’s facing deportation, a process that can take months. (Hernandez only helps families facing deportation if the undocumented worker has not committed any crime.)
“What we’re dealing with here is that there’s no resolution to, ‘What’s going to happen with my dad?'” she says. “‘Are they going to come in the middle of the night and pick up my dad? Is my dad going to be taken while I’m in school, like happened last time?'”
The ordeal leaves kids depressed, anxious, aggressive and unable to concentrate in school. Hernandez is currently working with an 8-year-old who stopped speaking when her father was picked up by authorities.
And there’s another case that haunts her: an English-speaking 18-year-old girl, raised in America, who is stranded in Juarez. The girl’s request for citizenship was denied—not because she did anything wrong, but because the petition her parents filed on her behalf is no longer valid.
“This little girl comes to the United States,” Hernandez explains. “She’s 6 years old. The mom marries an American citizen, so mom becomes an American citizen, and they petition for the little girl. Well, this takes forever. … So she hits the age of 18, and … the hearing occurs after her 18th birthday, so they have to go to Ciudad Juarez (where the hearing is held). And the judge said no. He said no to the petition because it’s after her 18th birthday. So, they have to leave this 18-year-old girl in a boarding house in Juarez, where all the killings are going on with the women.”
Hernandez sighs. “We can do better than this.”
Back in 2006, long before SB 1070—a law whose most controversial elements are now tied up in the courts—Colorado was already passing some of the country’s strictest immigration policy.
Republicans are promising that, if elected, they will bring ever-stricter immigration law to Colorado. Conservative gubernatorial candidates have all spoken fondly of Arizona’s tactics. Locally, both candidates for sheriff like Arizona’s law.
Of course, it wasn’t so long ago that big-name Republicans and Democrats wanted “comprehensive immigration reform.” Most envisioned this as providing a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the United States, and creating a more logical process for immigrants to come to the country—legally—in the future.
These days, few are willing to stick their necks out. Even Sen. John McCain, one of the Republican Party’s most vocal proponents of reform in past years, has changed his mind.
This article appears in Aug 12-18, 2010.
The process may take quite a while but it doesn’t take 12 years. I gather the family procrastinated over helping their illegal alien daughter become a citizen, and somehow this is now our fault?
Why is it that the multiculturalists insist Mexico has such a wonderful, vibrant, rich culture, but when it is time to deport people back to Mexico it suddenly becomes a horrible place with headless bodies everywhere.
“…a parent or loved one who’s been deported.”
But NO ONE is being deported! WHO has been deported? They may be leaving AZ, but if to their home country, then by their own choice.
advice – don’t have children if you’re in another country illegally.
Before 911 it took 21 months to re-instate my wife’s green card after living in Canada for six years. I was involved with a Chinese mother and wife who, with an US Citizen husband and two small daughters had being invlovled with INS for over ten years before being arrested by Homeland Security at 4:00 am and jailed.
12 years – you kidding – not so long with INS and Homeland Security!
The U.S. and the segment of its citizens who focus only on “ILLEGAL ALIEN” impose an oppressive trauma on families that include other U.S. citizens (children born here). This immoral political policy is similar to the trauma that the U.S. and the segment of its citizens who focused only on “JAP” during World War Two imposed on other U.S. citizens of Japanese heritage by placing them in concentration camps and virtually confiscating their property.
We need to stop breaking families apart and provide a path to citizenship for people who live in the U.S. without permission.
If “ILLEGAL” is so important that the U.S. destroys children by breaking apart families, then “LEGAL” should be recognized. In other words, children born on U.S. soil are citizens by the law of the land. Let’s help our fellow citizens stay with their families by not deporting their parents.
It is true, it can take many, many years for citizenship hearings and approval.
To AZLRS – the mom and child came here twelve years ago, but maybe mom didn’t get married for awhile. The article doesn’t say. And I think, though I’m not sure, that mom had to be a citizen before she could petition for her child.
Also, Mexico is a wonderful place. I travel there as often as I am able. However, there are places in Mexico I no longer go, such as Juarez, as there is so much violence there. Likewise, there are many places in the US I don’t go to because of crime and violence.
A few words to those Christians who are advocating for “tougher immigration” enforcement
…..Where in the Bible is there justification for destroying families and provoking fear of losing your home? The new testament says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Some laws made by humans are just plain wrong. Remember M. Ghandi and Nelson Mandala? These icons of justice stood strongly against the unjust laws of their country. May we citizens of the USA find the compassion, strength and wisdom to protest this unjust law and seek a fair solution to the “immigration” issue.
In response to native daughter’s question on how the Bible views illegal immigration:
Judges 11, 17: Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Give us permission to go through your country,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. They sent also to the king of Moab, and he refused. So Israel stayed at Kadesh.
Romans 13, 1-8: Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Ah. Judges. Old Testament. The same set of books that advocates for slavery, killing adultresses, feeding mischievous children to bears, and smashing out the brains of infants against stones. Yes, let’s be sure to follow its tenets.
Paul (the author of the letter to the Romans) was not Jesus Christ. The only people who hearken to his words are Paulines, not Christians.
Hey Warreno,
Cogent point, for all the good it does. Bigotry and stupidity doesn’t have much to do with logic. Somehow, the royals have managed to get 40 – 50% of the ignorant masses aligned with their causes. Go figure. If you really think it is worth it, freedom that is; it is time to try and make a difference: other than semantically.
Good Luck Brother.
You are smart enough. Are you tough enough?
Robert Alexander Dumas
Really, who’s fault is it? When they parents come here illegally, they put their children in this situation, not our government, not the people of the U.S. No- it’s the parents fault. They are the ones letting their children down. It is sad, when a parent commints a crime, which leads to the childrens lives to be disrupted, but, who’s fault is it? Do we say “oh the poor kids,” when a parent is convicted of grand theft, murder, drugs etc.? No, in some cases we even call in CPS to have the parents sited even further. Maybe they should have CPS called in on them as well, for inflicting such a burden their children. They are causing their children to consider sucide, sounds like mental abuse to me. Let’s put the blame where it belongs- on the parents. Just goes to show you, they are not thinking of anyone but themselves, it’s just plain irresponsile on the parents. I could never put my kids in a situation where I could stand to be separated from them, that is just wrong, I love my children too much. If the parents face deportation, it’s simple, take your children with you. Don’t come to a country illegally, don’t commit Federal crimes and you won’t have this problem.