sickening: Mother Deported, Child Left Behind

[kristine_elen]

I know this woman was here illegally, but how can we break up families like this? I am so horrified at the things our country does in my name.

A Mother Deported, and a Child Left Behind
By NINA BERNSTEIN
New York Times

Published: November 24, 2004


In April of last year, when her mother dropped by federal immigration headquarters in Manhattan to complete some paperwork, 8-year-old Virginia Feliz became part of a growing tribe of American children who have lost a parent to deportation.

Her mother, Berly, 47, who migrated to the United States illegally a decade ago, went to the immigration office on a routine visit to renew her work authorization. But because an old deportation order had resurfaced, she was quickly clapped into handcuffs, and within hours placed on a plane to her native Honduras, unable to say goodbye to her husband and little girl. ....

full article:
http://nytimes.com/2004/11/24/nyregion/24deport.html?hp&ex=1101358800&en=3d1a75f2b779d127&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[psophia17]

What's really sickening is that if she was in fact here illegally, she shouldn't have been able to get work authorization to begin with. That she had work authorization implies to me that although she may have been here illegally at one time, she had already taken steps to make living in the States legal. The whole system is interconnected...we found out my DH's permanent residency in the US had been denied when he went in to renew his work authorization. At the time, I was 6 mos pregnant, and after that it was an uphill battle to deal with it. He wasn't immediately deported only because he entered the US legally. We finally got his green card in April, but, to make a long story short, we moved to his native Canada in August, sick and tired of dealing with US immigration policies.

[aliceinwonderland]

I have not read the article--not emotially ready for that kind of info right now--but I wonder if she had adequate legal representation--I think generally, if you can argue to a court that deportation of a non-citizen would greatly harm a US citizen(which I'm assuming the child is)then they'll usually let the parent stay...But it's an uphill legal battle I'm sure...

[papal]

Ridiculous!

When it is convenient to them and they want cheap manual labour (not sure if this is what happened here), they give work permits or turn a blind eye. And all of a sudden they become huffy and deport her.. beyond inhumane. Like she was a 'threat' of any kind. The gall of these people. Makes me sick.