Thread: Immigrant children may be deported

Another Immigration Sob Story:
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Sept. 7, 2007, 4:56PM
Immigrant children may be deported

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/ ... 17349.html
By ELIZABETH WHITE Associated Press Writer
© 2007 The Associated Press

SAN ANGELO, Texas — A Mexican family living illegally in Texas may be split up by immigration officials, apparently because of a routine delay in paperwork that, if completed, could allow the entire family to stay together in the U.S.

The story of Rocio Godinez's family provides a glimpse into the anguish of thousands of immigrants in similar straits. But their case is also different because the mother who first came to authorities' attention is not facing deportation. Her children are.

Godinez, 32, and her four oldest children came to the U.S. in the late 1990s and overstayed their tourist visas. The children, who are now 10 to 18 years old, could be sent back to Mexico as early as next week to a home they don't remember, to live with relatives who can't afford to take them in.

Godinez's family lives in San Angelo, as do her parents, who are legal U.S. residents. Her fifth child, Brisa, was born a U.S. citizen in 1999.

In 2001, Godinez's father petitioned for her to stay in the United States with her children. But because of a limited number of visas, the State Department has not yet reviewed the Godinez case, said Gregory Ball, chief counsel for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Antonio.

The family lived freely in the U.S. until Godinez was stopped in 2005 for speeding in San Angelo. Police referred her to the Border Patrol, and Godinez told them about her children. Then the deportation proceedings began.

"It's very difficult," Godinez said in Spanish from the living room of the family's run-down home. "I don't have a choice. I can't go back — I can't stay."

Supporters of strict immigration enforcement said Godinez brought the problems on herself.

Advocates for illegal immigrants "always want to make it everybody else's responsibility for the consequences of one or more family members' decision to break the law," said Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

Godinez, a single mother, doesn't know what she will do if authorities deport the four children — Jorge, 18; Rocio Iveth, 16; Manuel, 12; and Uriel, 10. Her eldest child has a wife and child who are both U.S. citizens.

The children's lawyer, Jonathan D. Ryan, said he doesn't know why Godinez is being spared deportation. "That's the strangeness of this case," Ryan said. "Why not nobody or why not everybody?"

Ball, of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, said he did not have any information on Godinez, but he confirmed the four children are in removal proceedings. ICE officials declined to discuss the case further.

Niels Frenzen, a University of Southern California law professor, said ICE may be going easy on Rocio Godinez so she can eventually immigrate legally using the 2001 petition. Then she could be rejoined by her children. Another possibility is a paperwork error.

"There's always this tendency in any bureaucracy to sort of justify it and act like it's doing this with some intent and logical purpose," said Frenzen, who is not involved in the family's case.

If they return to Mexico, the children would live in the community of Ciudad Acuna, just across the border from Del Rio. But they have few memories of Mexico and don't know the aunt and uncle with whom they would probably live.

Godinez said her siblings have their own kids, including a sister who has just one bedroom for three children. "They don't have enough food for themselves," she said.

___

On the Net:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement: http://www.ice.gov/

"Godinez, a single mother, doesn't know what she will do if authorities deport the four children — Jorge, 18; Rocio Iveth, 16; Manuel, 12; and Uriel, 10. Her eldest child has a wife and child"

Seems to me illegals need to learn birth control, self-control, and taking responsibility for what they do!

I'm getting sick of the sob stories of people who CHOSE to break the law and then cry about it.

Sorry, send them ALL back together!

Ten years here and still speaks only Spanish.....unbelievable.....

They need to take responsibility for their actions instead of placing the blame on this country. No one forced them or even invited them here.

Amen to what all of you have said. At what point do these people realize that deliberately having children that you have no clue how you are going to feed and calling them Americans simply because you pooted them out here for leverage is an assinine idea?

I have gotten to the point that I have to take a day or two off from this board on a weekly basis because with every sob story the rage is building.

I have gotten to the point that I have to take a day or two off from this board on a weekly basis because with every sob story the rage is building.

WhatMattersMost - I think we all get to that point every so often here!
I also believe that is perfectly normal.
Take a break, spend time with family & friends, go do something fun, ... then come on back ready to roll!

Thanks Phred, that's exactly what I do now.

Mom May Face Deportation, With Her Kids

Sep 12 10:17 PM US/Eastern
By ELIZABETH WHITE
Associated Press Writer

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (AP) - An illegal immigrant allowed to stay in the U.S., apparently because of a routine delay in paperwork, while her four children face deportation could now be forced to go back to Mexico, a government lawyer told an immigration court Wednesday.
The case against 32-year-old Rocio Godinez's children was postponed at a status hearing so immigration officials can decided whether to include her in the proceedings.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement will decide whether to order Godinez to immigration court, said agency lawyer Carmen Leal. The proceedings against her children, ages 10 to 18, have been going on for the past two years.

"They're going after Rocio now," said family attorney Jonathan Ryan. He said he believes the government decided to move on Godinez after media reports on the case.

"We knew this was a chance we were taking with going public," Ryan said.

ICE said it would have no comment Wednesday.

The family's next hearing will take place in early December, when they will again make the more than three-hour trip from their home in San Angelo to San Antonio.

Godinez and her four children came to the U.S. in the late 1990s on tourist visas, which later expired.

In 2001, Godinez's father, a legal U.S. resident, filed a petition for them to stay in the country. But the paperwork is years away from being processed because excessive demand for a limited number of visas has created a federal backlog.

In May 2005, Godinez was pulled over for speeding and was referred to Border Patrol. Deportation proceedings for her children began after that.

Godinez, who also has a 7-year-old American-born child, said the situation puts her in a difficult situation because her family may be torn between two countries.

"I'm scared," she said in Spanish after the hearing, which she did not attend. "I don't know what's going to happen."

And Godinez's oldest child, Jorge Vasquez-Godinez, 18, is now married to a U.S. citizen and the father to a U.S.-born infant. Ryan said he will likely try to separate his case from the rest of the family to increase his chances of staying.

Jorge Vasquez-Godinez said as long as the family keeps getting extensions, he won't complain about the periodic hearings. "I'd rather do that than have to go," he said.

Godinez said seeking to publicize the case was worth it in an effort to help her children, even if it means she'll have to leave the U.S., too. "It's not for me, it's for them," she said.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id ... _article=1

"They're going after Rocio now," said family attorney Jonathan Ryan. He said he believes the government decided to move on Godinez after media reports on the case. "We knew this was a chance we were taking with going public," Ryan said.

Who is this lawyer trying to fool here? The decision to go public, I'll bet anything, was a very calculated and precise legal strategy on his part. With Elvira being freshly deported he was no doubt hoping for a huge public outrage and pressure on ICE to back down. Failing that, he will probably try to argue it in court that this proceeding against the mother is a retaliatory strike by ICE because she did go public.

The family's next hearing will take place in early December

December? Good....that gives us plenty of time to pressure ICE and the courts to do the only right thing here and that is to deport the bunch of them. We were key in getting Elvira out of here, we can get this one gone too.


In 2001, Godinez's father, a legal U.S. resident, filed a petition for them to stay in the country.

Just how does one peition, for illegals who have overstayed visas by a few years, to stay here? To do so would be to admit unlawful conduct which would make them ineligible to stay anyway. Did her father lie in his petition? I'd like to see them explain that one in a court of law.

Godinez, who also has a 7-year-old American-born child, said the situation puts her in a difficult situation because her family may be torn between two countries.

Mmmmno........the anchor can go too. She already, without a doubt, speaks fluent Spanish and has been raised predominantly as Mexican, as opposed to American. Kids are adaptable. She'll get used to it. Or, providing Grandma and Grandpa don't get deported for harboring, aiding/abetting, etc., she can always stay here with them.


And Godinez's oldest child, Jorge Vasquez-Godinez, 18, is now married to a U.S. citizen and the father to a U.S.-born infant. Ryan said he will likely try to separate his case from the rest of the family to increase his chances of staying.

Interesting. This has been going on for 2 years now meaning that he married an American citizen and had a kid after the proceedings began. There should be absolutely no consideration given his maritial status to a citizen or the fact that his kid is a citzen either.



SEND THEM ALL HOME!!!!

Advocates for illegal immigrants "always want to make it everybody else's responsibility for the consequences of one or more family members' decision to break the law," said Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

Music to my ears! She shouldn't have overstayed her visa. That was the crime.