He arrived in the United States as a minor. At school, it was difficult to adapt and to speak the language; however, he learned from his mother the importance of hard work to overcome any obstacle. Soon, he earned excellent grades and fell in love with his new country—so much so that, once naturalized, he decided to enlist in the Navy. His family is very proud of him. Yet just weeks before a ship takes him far away to defend his nation, the government ordered the deportation of his mother.
The Latina mother, who asked that we not reveal her name, arrived from Honduras. Her children are legally in the country, and her husband is an American citizen. She applied for a work permit and included a letter from her son in the military. But the response she received from the government would break her heart.
“We are very proud of your son’s service,” the Latina mother recalls reading in the letter. “But you must leave the country.”
Past Mistakes and Deportation
The woman’s immigration situation is complex. Many years ago, she crossed the border into the United States but was arrested there. She spent three months in a detention center; she did not receive immigration counsel and did not know her options, so she decided to leave voluntarily. This would prove to be a serious mistake.
Ten years ago, she crossed the border again with her two children. Once in North Carolina, she married an American citizen and established a home characterized by values such as love, hard work, and faith.
When her eldest son joined the U.S. Armed Forces, an attorney told her that although her husband could not fix her immigration status because of her prior deportation, she could apply for a work permit through a petition from her son. She followed that advice, but the government’s response was negative.
The letter she received asks her to leave the country voluntarily, and if she does not, they will take her case to court, which will mean automatic deportation. “My world collapsed, and so did my children’s,” she says.
“The hardest thing is imagining that they are going to separate you from your children. Nothing compares to imagining being torn away from a life you have built here for 10 years,” she says. The Latina woman decided to remain in the shadows.
Defending a Country That Wants to Deport His Mother
This mother had to learn to manage her fear in order to project hope to her children. However, this changed in mid-November, when Border Patrol agents arrived in the city of Charlotte and began carrying out mass arrests.
“Do you know how I felt?” she asks rhetorically. “Any car that drove past my house, I thought it was ICE. That week immigration was here, I didn’t sleep, I lived terrified,” she recalls.
Her children watched as their mother, who had always been a strong and brave person, gradually began to break down.
In April, her son will be deployed overseas to fulfill his duty. But a few days ago, he spoke with his mother and for the first time expressed doubts about his calling.
“I’m disappointed to know that I’m defending this country while they are going after my mom,” she recalls him saying. But she responded: “No, my love, you keep doing what you’re doing and be at peace. Let’s trust in God, let’s keep trusting in God, because I am going to be fine.”
What Should Be Done About Immigrants Who Are Not a Threat?
During Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s appearance before the Senate on March 3, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis questioned the government’s indiscriminate deportation policy.
“We just want numbers. We want a thousand a day, 6,000 a day, 9,000 a day, because numbers matter, right? No! They don’t matter. Quality matters, not quantity. And what we’ve seen is a disaster under your leadership, Ms. Noem, a disaster,” said Tillis, who is a Republican.
There should be a law that helps people who do nothing wrong, who pay taxes, to fix their situation,” sighs the mother of an American soldier, who still hopes to remain with her family.
Find this article in Spanish here.
This video was made possible thanks to the support of the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative (CJC)
