The Horace Mann school community, with many others across Newton, is rallying to support a local family facing difficult times. The father, Rigoberto Mendez, who moved here from Guatemala in 1991, is scheduled to be deported on August 15. His wife is currently undergoing treatment for brain cancer. Their older son will be entering UMass Boston this September, and the younger son attends Horace Mann. A GoFundMe page for the Mendez family has been set up to provide financial support. A vigil will be held tomorrow (August 1) at 7PM at the Horace Mann Playground (687 Watertown Street) to show support for this family that has been part of Newton since the 1990s. At the vigil (and also later online), there will be opportunities to sign up to provide other support for the family.
More facts please:
Why exactly is he being deported? Violating a previous deportation order? Dui? Theft?
Why is he being targeted?
https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/Running-Out-of-Time-Newton-Father-Undocumented-Immigrant-Faces-Deportation-Trump-Administration-Immigration-ICE-488958781.html
What a mean-spirited place this country has become. The underachieving racists at ICE would be wise to change their wicked ways, because when this country becomes majority-minority in 2045, they’ll likely end up having their pensions defunded as justice for the atrocities they’ve committed.
Michael,
Would love to hear your ideas for a long term fix for the immigration problem we have today.
Bugek, I don’t consider there to be any immigration problem. All credible economic research concludes that it’s consistently a net positive for growth and is generally the only way for developed countries to solve structural deficiencies in the labor force and old-age benefits.
Regardless of one’s view on undocumented immigrants, there should be compassion applied to those with exceptional circumstances. How heartless to deprive a family of the healthy parent when the other one is going through treatment for such a devastating disease and needs all the assistance she can get, and the children need both parents there for support.
This is certainly a sad situation and I hope some positive solution will be found. Please don’t take offense when I ask….is there any particular reason why in the 25 plus years he has been here, he has not been able to apply for or obtain citizenship?
@TheWholeTruth: I am no expert but understand if he were here without the proper documentation, he would have no standing to apply for or obtain citizenship, even if he was here for 25 years or more. In the past administrations did not prioritize deporting those who were contributing to our society and avoiding legal problems. Trump has changed that.
I immigrated to Newton in 1979. I became a citizen in 1993. There were many procedures to complete the process. I was raised in Toronto. My sister told me there is a lottery system for
Canadians to come permanently to the US. Thus the chance to come to the USA is minimal.
I do not believe people should come here illegally. Perhaps there should be help for them to relocate back to another country.
Most affluent, English speaking countries have strict immigration policies. There must be rules.
@Colleen – that’s a common question, and answered here:
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/immigration/sd-me-citizen-path-20170407-story.html#
Whoops, just realized that I should have directed my comment above to @TheWholeTruth… in response to the question of why the man hasn’t been able to obtain citizenship in the 25 years he’s been here.
@Colleen, it’s always charming when immigrants tell us how important it is to keep out the immigrants that want to come in after them.
Thanks for your advice- as far as I’m concerned, we can put it right up there with whatever words of wisdom Melania Trump has to offer us on the subject.
And with respect to “help to relocate back to another country,” I’m sure that the Wampanoag and Mississauga people would be pleased to assist you.
It is tragic to break apart a family. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have rules about immigration, which is what I believe Colleen was supporting. Even Sweden and Canada have immigration regulations:
Trudeau Doesn’t Separate Refugee Families, but He Does Send Them Away: the Canada Letter
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/22/world/canada/trudeau-doesnt-separate-refugee-families-but-he-does-send-them-away-the-canada-letter.html
Here in Newton we don’t have the pressure on our schools and services other communities with high levels of immigrants do. In places like Chelsea class sizes are 30+ and, I believe, the State just punted on providing more money for school districts for ELL and Special Ed needs.
Shortchanging English learners and low-income students
Our school funding formula desperately needs an update
https://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/shortchanging-english-learners-and-low-income-students/
@Allison, thanks for the information, it is somewhat helpful. But I can’t help but ask if he ever tried to apply for a green card as the first step toward becoming “legal”. Is there something in his background that would have prevented him from getting the green card? We just don’t know his whole story. But for now, we focus on the tragedy of a cancer diagnosis on a family in a very difficult position. I wish them well.
My three kids went to Horace Mann, and it was always a source of pride that over 25 different languages were spoken in the homes of students there. One in five (!) Newtonians were born in another country and 1 in 12 (!!) are non-citizens, some of whom are undocumented (!!!). The cruelty of this President* and his administration is on full display here. Unless the courts intervene, Rigoberto Mendez will be deported this month for the sole reason that he is an undocumented immigrant.
Our President* has said that when Central American countries send us their immigrants, they are not sending their “best.” Rigoberto and his family prove that this is (yet another) baldfaced lie from the POTUS*. Rigoberto has worked hard all his life, supported his family, paid taxes and contributed to Social Security, and now his older son should become the first in his family to go to college in the Fall at UMass Boston. If Rigoberto is deported, however, his son may have to give up his dream of going to college to get a job so he can support the family. This is just wrong. Why do we tolerate this?
I was honored to be asked to speak at last night’s vigil. I used to do pro bono legal work for immigrants who were trying to hold onto the lives they had built in America. As a lawyer, I can tell you that “No Human Is Illegal.” Despite their undocumented immigration status, Rigoberto and millions of other immigrants like him are entitled to the full protection of the US Constitution as a “person” under the 5th and 14th amendments. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar.
Colleen, it always amazes me that immigrants from mostly white, English speaking countries are only too happy to close the door and lock it behind them when they come to America. Yes, we are a nation of laws. But we used to be a nation that had compassion and welcomed refugees and immigrants from other lands with open arms. In fact, there is a huge statue of Lady Liberty in the NYC harbor with a welcoming beacon and a poem about that which was a gift from the people of France. It was not until the Red Scare that America passed laws to keep out “undesirables,” most of whom were people of color, but also Italians, Poles, Russians, Chinese and other immigrants who have made tremendous contributions to our country. Now, our President* wants to separate families from their children because the parents have committed a misdemeanor, and intimidate immigrants with a census question about their immigration status, which hasn’t been on the census since the Cold War anti-communist era of the 1950s.
My uncle recently passed away at the age of 97. When he was 8 years old, he came to this country from Russia as an unaccompanied minor to escape the pogroms. He grew up in America with distant relatives he had never met, and became a Fulbright Scholar and Ford Foundation Fellow who advanced international relations between this country and Asian countries. Some “Americans” would have insisted on deporting my uncle too. In a word, that is distinctly un-American. Immigrants have made our country great (unlike the s***hole occupant of the White House). In fact, all Americans are descended from immigrants (with the possible exception of Native Americans, who came here thousands of years ago).
So say it with me now: “No Human Is Illegal.” Say it loud. Say it proud. Say it again and again, loud enough for ICE to hear.
If you believe as I do that No Human Is Illegal, please contribute to the GoFundMe campaign to raise money to pay Rigoberto’s attorneys’ fees. #NoHumanIsIllegal #abolishICE
* Lost the popular vote by over 3 million and would not have been elected without the help of his good buddy, the murderous despot, Vladimir Putin. “No collusion,” he says. “No, collusion is not a crime,” he says. And anyway, our President* did not collude. Unless of course he did. In which case, it was Jr’s fault. And Jared’s fault. And Paul Manafort’s fault. But not our President’s* fault. And what about Hillary’s emails? (BTW, not for nothing, his third and current wife worked here illegally before she and her parents were allowed to immigrate to this country, under a program that the President* has promised to eliminate.)
@TheWholeTruth – My understanding is that he has applied for and obtained a green card in the past, but that it was not renewed the last time he applied for renewal.
Allison,
Once you enter illegally, its impossible to get a greencard other than through amnesty.
I patiently waited 8 years for my greencard, followed all the rules and never thought twice about breaking any rules. The current legal immigration is only setup for family chain migration and well educated individuals.
If we want to allow freely allow those who dont meet the above categories then perhaps the government should set up a visa program for these folks. Many past administrations had the opportunity to do so.
The only practical and compassionate solution is amnesty for all followed by some way to stop any further people from sneaking or overstaying illegally.
As for the suggestion that “Perhaps there should be help for them to relocate back to another country,” the kids were born and raised here. There’s no “other country” to “send them back” to.
Marcia,
Only the father is being deported, its sad but he knew this day might come. The only solution to stop this scenario from playing out millions of times across the country is to lobby for amnesty… but something will have to exchanged for it to prevent a repeat 10 years from now
This was a really great event last night and I’m glad it was posted here on Village 14 so I could attend and recruit a friend to attend too.
@Bugek – regardless of all that, there should be a way to at least get a temporary stay of deportation until the wife is done with cancer treatment and hopefully recovered. The main people being punished in this situation are the very ill wife and kids.
Sadly, it seems the wife will likely be deported soon too
http://newton.wickedlocal.com/news/20180802/vigil-held-to-support-newton-man-due-to-be-deported-by-ice
Since the son has turned 18, is it possible for him to apply a green card for his parents ( would take about 1 year). I assume no because they previously broke the law by entering illegally?
Focusing on this single family is not going to help the hundreds of thousands in the same situation. You need to lobby politicians to make a deal on immigration reform for everybody
@Colleen – Someone like him could NEVER come here legally. Unless you have a skill that happens to be sought after (and being willing to work for next to nothing doing all the jobs that Americans don’t want to do does not qualify) or extraordinary abilities, you can’t really settle here legally (unless you marry a citizen like FLOTUS did). Not sure how you managed – but I bet that whatever it was, it was a whole lot easier back then than it is now.
Bugek, when you refer to a “deal on immigration reform”, do you support a US taxpayer-funded border wall – that trump promised/lied that Mexico was going to pay for?
The US does have immigration laws. This administration has flouted those laws and even the few legal avenues to permanent residence that do remain for those entering illegally are extremely hard, if not impossible, to pursue. None of them are even remotely possible without an immigration lawyer.
An immigrant who entered the US illegally cannot obtain a green card even if married to a US citizen. If the immigrant has overstayed a visa, meaning entering legally, there is a way to obtain one called “adjusted status.”
If entering illegally, s/he can return to his/her home country and attend a green card interview at the US consulate there. If s/he can qualify for a waiver by proving that being denied an immigrant visa (green card) would cause extreme hardship to one or more of your US citizen family members, s/he can return right away. (Unlikely under this administration.)
If arrested by ICE, there may be a way to avoid removal if s/he has already been physically present in the United States for at least ten years, removal from the U.S. would result in exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to your spouse, parent, or child who is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. (Also unlikely but a chance.)
As for those who say “My ancestors came here legally, why can’t current immigrants “do it right?””
The fact is, they probably didn’t. There are many misconceptions about citizenship and immigration and many hold a romanticized view of how their own families emigrated.
What Marti said. Most of our grandparents most likely didn’t come with documenatation. I have no recollection of a conversation with my grandparents about the immigration process or whether they gained citizenship – the stories contained details about the human aspects of immigration: when they came, where they landed, the loss of family, “No Irish need apply” signs, etc. Did they have documentation? I have no idea. I do know that one grandmother changed the spelling of her last name upon arrival at port so that it sounded more “American”.