Thread: CA- Guatemalan family divided after deportation

Guatemalan family divided after deportation
Thursday, November 05, 2009 | 10:04 AM

MARIN COUNTY, CA (KGO) -- Members of a Guatemalan family living in Marin County are now separated by thousands of miles after immigration officials deported the parents of three children overnight.


Friends and supporters accompanied Salvador Mejia-Perez and his wife Elida to San Francisco International Airport Wednesday night.

The couple boarded a flight to Guatemala with their American born four-year-old daughter.
They are leaving their teenage son and daughter behind in Marin County. Immigration officials raided the couple's home by mistake in 2007, found they had no documents and began the deportation process.
An immigration judge had previously ruled the family could stay, but that decision was appealed by the Homeland Security and reversed.
"We worked hard and pay taxes are hoping to stay, but now that is not possible. My family is divided now," said deported mother Elida Perez.
"Our government should not be doing this. They are hard workers and deserve to be here. They were living the American dream, now they're living the American nightmare," said the family's attorney Marc Van Der Hout.
Unless there is a change in their legal status, the deported couple cannot return to the United States for at least the next ten years.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?sectio ... le-7102464

They should have taken the teenagers with them, as if they are legal citizens, they have a lot to contribute to Guatemalan society. And who is going to take care of these two, the gangs?

Originally Posted by vortex

They should have taken the teenagers with them, as if they are legal citizens, they have a lot to contribute to Guatemalan society. And who is going to take care of these two, the gangs?

The only reason I see that the parents abandon them here is to continue receiving taxpayer $$$$.

"We worked hard and pay taxes are hoping to stay, but now that is not possible. My family is divided now," said deported mother Elida Perez.

You chose to divide your family, not our problem. Work hard in your own country to better your life.

We worked hard and pay taxes are hoping to stay, but now that is not possible. My family is divided now," said deported mother Elida Perez.

You caused this lady. Crime doesnt pay. Your family didnt have to be divided. You could have taken your teens with you.

I am sick and tired of hearing these kind of sob stories. It is oh so wrong when immigration deports them but is okay when the man leaves the wife and kids back home, comes and works here illegally and sends money back home. If you are told tom leave you must go same with visas if its expired then go back. What part of that don't they understand?

It goes back to what I said before. If the parents come here illegally they have the choice of taking their anchor-babies home with them or putting them up for adoption.

I would guess that, leaving the teenagers behind, they will be staying with family members. My guess is that they, themselves, were the anchor-babies.

Fair enough. Let the family (or friends) provide for them or the parents can take them home to their own country with them when deported.

The parents who come here illegally put their children at emotional risk. The American government did not.

There are law and those laws need to be upheld.

I'm curious to know how, being here illegally and all, the parents supposedly "paid taxes"? Under whose identity and social security number? It certainly wasn't theirs.

Originally Posted by miguelina

You chose to divide your family, not our problem. Work hard in your own country to better your life.

I agree, don't blame us, blame yourself!!

This anchor baby BS has got to stop! I have no sympathy at all for these people. They created the problem, broke the law and now they are suffering the consequences.

People that come here illegally and have anchor babies are guilty of child abuse. I am sorry for the children but feel more sympathy for the American people that get stuck flitting the bill for all the illegals and anchors.

Take your kids with you so that the family may remain together. Many families face poverty, problems, etc., and they stay together as a family. The anchor babies left in the United States will sponsor their family members, and the illegal aliens will keep coming.

No more birthright citizenship would put some brakes on this sob story continuing with illegal aliens to a great extent. It would help to stop the family reunification claims.

Psalm 139:14