"Student Elizabeth Lee Facing Deportation- Mom Held," by Erin Allday
January 7, 2011 in the SF Chronicle
http://articles.sfgate.com/2011-01-07/bay-area/27015246_1_illegal-immigrant-deportation-dream-act
Stories like this really make me mad. This student, Elizabeth Lee, was about to graduate from Lowell High School in SF and was planning to attend UC Berkeley when her mother, an undocumented immigrant, was arrested. Elizabeth, who came to San Francisco when she was 9, and her entire family were threatened with deportation back to Peru on January 19. It's not the first time this has happened to them. When she was 14, Elizabeth's mother was arrested and she was sent to a foster home for a week. Her mother managed to get her back and sought asylum in the US. The case was denied in 2008.
Several high-profile incidents like this one prompted California Senator D-
Dianne Weinstein to co-sponsor the Dream Act bill which would allow children who arrived in the US before age 15 and who attend college to remain in the country. The bill is currently dead in the Senate.
"It has been like a roller coaster. Some days are better than others," said Elizabeth Lee, who is taking classes at San Francisco City College while she awaits the outcome of her case. "I put so much effort into school as a distraction from my problems. I wanted to be someone."
This story is of course relavant to any one who lives in the this country, particularly in states with a large Latino population or other minority immigrant populations. Some of you might disagree with me on this one, but I think deporting children who are as American as you or I (except for a piece of paper) is criminal.
Through my work at the DA's office, we deal with a lot of defendants who are prosecuted, some crimes much more serious than others, and often face deportation. Criminally speaking, deportation is a common result of a criminal conviction, and it's sad that often that means 1) either leaving family and children behind in the US or 2) resulting in the children being moved back to the home country so they can remain with the parent(s) being deported.
ReplyDeleteFrom the situations I've become aware of, it would be extremely uncommon for the government to deport a young, undocumented child simply because a parent faces deportation. In the case that Eric has cited above, I notice that the child is almost if not already 18 years old, and I wonder if perhaps that somehow opens the gates for deportation to take place? I really can't speak to this at all, ut I did wonder if the child was 8 instead of 18, would the child even have an open immigration case?
This nightmare story that Eric has found is a big reason why parents and families fear placing kids in the public school system. It's a fear of the unknown, and undocumented residents must constantly be on alert of the "who's around, where are they and when am I going to get busted?" Sadly, their concerns are founded because if they are caught working illegally or convicted of a crime, they will surely face the deporation process, which can very quickly tear a family apart.
This issue is so important in many ways. I really believe children should not be punished for their parent's actions. However, like you mention, if a child is 8 they will probably be deported (by choice of the parent for a minor) with the parent. I wonder if an 18 year old child faces deportation separately as an adult or as a dependent of an illegal immigrant. I'll do some research and see what I can come up with.
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