SANTA MONICA – The 33-year-old woman stood in the rain. She watched a log bob on the turbulent river. Freedom was on the other side. Her children were on the other side. The river was in her way. Would she be able to overcome this last obstacle, she wondered.
The pounding of the raindrops matched the beating in her chest. Sometimes a steady rhythm that spurred her forward. But at times like these, an ever-chaotic beat that pushed her to do things she never thought possible.
Six months ago, ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided the restaurant where she worked in Los Angeles. The officers didn’t give her a chance to take anything before they deported her to Guatemala.
They didn’t allow her to see her children. She couldn’t make sure they were ok. Even though all three of them were born in the United States and were U.S. citizens, she was deported without any regard for her responsibilities as a mother. What about their rights as children and citizens? Didn’t they have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Didn’t they have the right to have their mother with them? For all she knew, her children were in a detention center hastily put together by the current government of that once revered country.
The woman remembered the last time she saw her children. It was a Tuesday. She finished her full-time cleaning job and went home to make dinner. After dinner, she sat with the kids and listened as they told her about the wonderful things they learned in school that day. She was proud they were totally bilingual. She was proud they studied so hard and could one day give back to the country that had once offered them so much.
She kissed them goodnight and made sure they finished their homework and were ready for school the next day. She left the one-bedroom apartment and walked to the restaurant. In America, she felt safe. After her six-hour shift, she would be home by 1:00 in the morning, she mistakenly thought. (FICTION).
(NEWS) During his campaign for a 2nd presidential term, Donald J. Trump promised to deport illegal immigrants and secure the border. Less than a week into his 2nd and final term, Trump sent U.S. soldiers to the southern border, lifted longtime existing rules restricting immigration enforcement near schools and churches, and arrested more than one thousand people, the AP reports.
These actions followed Trump’s signing of Executive Orders that will change the way the U.S. Military is used, restrict people’s rights to due process under the law, redefine gender identity, and divert tax payer money for programs that are supported by an ever dwindling segment of the population.
During his campaign, Trump convinced his supporters that he would arrest and deport only illegal immigrants. NBC News reported that at least 587 people, not considered criminals, were arrested by ICE. CNN recently quoted Newark, New Jersey Mayor Ras Baraka. Mayor Baraka said that without showing warrants, ICE agents raided local business and detained undocumented residents as well as citizens over the past weekend.
Where does it end? For the moment, there is no end in sight. The current president will do what he wants to continually undermine the cultural, economic, and political power of the United States. Yesterday, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said we could expect, “More lawlessness and chaos in America as Donald Trump’s administration blatantly disobeys the law…”
People deported to Mexico will receive help from the government there. Mexican President, Claudia Sheinbaum announced that the deported will receive food, medical care, and the necessary help obtaining identity papers.
Some content courtesy of the Associated Press, the New York Times, La Opinion, NBC News, BBC, NPR, CNN, The Hill, and Google Images.
