{sob} Student may still face being deported
Student may still face being deported
Dianna M. Náñez
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 12, 2007 12:00 AM
Five months after Gilbert police referred Gilbert resident Manuel Espinoza-Vasquez to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the 20-year-old Arizona State University justice and economics student is dealing with life knowing he faces potential deportation.
Before police stopped Espinoza-Vasquez for an improper right turn in March, most people knew him as an excelling college kid who loved school so much he never missed a day from kindergarten through high school.
But Espinoza-Vasquez's traffic stop led to questions that revealed he was living with a secret. advertisement
After police determined the ASU student had a blood-alcohol content of 0.02 percent, below the 0.08 percent legal limit for drunken driving, they asked him for identification. He said that when police refused his student and other ID cards, and threatened to arrest him if he did not present a legal form of identification, he gave police a Mexican ID.
An officer, he said, took the ID and phoned ICE.
"They (ICE) asked if I was in the country legally," he said. "I said, 'No.' "
Police transferred Espinoza-Vasquez to ICE officials in Phoenix, where he refused to sign a voluntary deportation order. He spent 10 days at the Eloy Detention Center and was released on bond.
Last month, Espinoza-Vasquez said he went to court for his traffic tickets and was cited for possession of alcohol and referred to alcohol-education courses.
Phoenix Attorney Judy Flanagan has agreed to represent him at a September deportation hearing.
In the meantime, Espinoza-Vasquez said he is focused on fulfilling his dream of a college degree.
He has increased his course load and takes a five-hour round-trip bus ride from Gilbert to ASU five days a week.
Espinoza-Vasquez's story has touched people on both sides of the immigration debate.
Eric Checketts, a University of Arizona student from Mesa, said he has met undocumented-immigrant students with stories similar to Espinoza-Vasquez's.
"It's such a tough issue. I don't believe there's any sort of policy or legislation that's going to solve every problem for every person.
The fact is there are good people here illegally," he said. "I've had classes with those people. But I do believe we have to draw the line somewhere."
Checketts said he does not see immigration as a racial issue and gets frustrated by people who would accuse him of being prejudiced because he prefers deportation rather than legalization for most undocumented immigrants.
"I understand why they come here. I mean, from what I know, things in Mexico are literally hell," he said.
"But we are a society of laws."
Checketts said he does not want to see the quality of life for Americans deteriorate because of illegal immigration.
"Look, we have a substantial number of people here (illegally). They have a certain drain on our society ... effects on health care and economics."
Espinoza-Vasquez, who came to the United States when he was 3, said he is not surprised when he hears people say undocumented immigrants hurt America.
"I'm used to it," he said. "I had friends in Gilbert who would talk bad about illegal immigrants in front of me."
He said the revelation of his residency status has caught people off guard.
"People at school and my friends were surprised," he said. "I guess they had a stereotype of what an undocumented person is supposed to be like."
Espinoza-Vasquez said he now sees friends' discovery that he is an undocumented immigrant as a positive outcome of his immigration woes.
"Some told me, 'We didn't realize it was people like you, Manuel,' " he said. "I joked, 'Yeah, I'm one of those people stealing your health care.' "
He said he understands the fear of telling people you are an undocumented immigrant, but he wishes more students who came to America as children would come forward.
"It opens up a dialogue," he said. "It's hard to persecute people who are your friends and neighbors. People realize you're an American, too."
Espinoza-Vasquez said that regardless of his legal worries, he is not giving up on becoming a lawyer.
He was encouraged, he said, to see a group of ASU students go on a hunger strike last week to bring attention to the DREAM Act, proposed federal legislation that would help put undocumented immigrants brought to America as children on a path to citizenship.
Espinoza-Vasquez said he supports the students' efforts and feels a kinship with them.
"We want to go to school so we can give back to our community," he said. "I want to help people less fortunate than me. I realize knowledge is power ... that they can take away your freedom but they can't take away your knowledge.
"These are the principles our country was founded on. What's more American than that?"
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