Church hears sad tale of immigration laws (sob story)
Get out your crying towels.
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Church hears sad tale of immigration laws
BY ALAN SCHMIDT | STAFF WRITER
aschmidt@pioneerlocal.com
On Sept. 26 Armando and Lorena Gomez will have to say goodbye to their four adult children, eight grandchildren, their home, and the only life they have known for 35 years.
The couple and their four young children came into the United States from Mexico in the early 1970s. Like millions of other illegal immigrants who have entered this country over the years, they came seeking work and a better life for their families. Shortly after Armando arrived in Chicago, he was able to get a legitimate Social Security card at a local Social Security Administration office, with almost no questions asked.
The Social Security card was the same as any U.S. citizen would get, with no restrictions. Armando got a factory job six months after his arrival, and he and Lorena bought a house on the 4700 block of North Karlov Avenue and raised their children. They paid their property taxes, income tax, and water bills and became part of the fabric of their community.
The Rev. Donald Headley, speaking Aug. 9 at an immigration rights dialogue at St. Mary of the Woods Catholic Church, 7033 N. Moselle Ave., praised the work the couple has done over the years as volunteers at Our Lady of Mercy Church, 4432 N. Troy Avenue.
Headley, in residence at St. Mary of the Woods, is pastor emeritus at Our Lady of Mercy.
Armando and Lorena lived their lives as anyone would and life was good for them, Headley said. For decades, their immigration status was never questioned -- until they took a trip to Miami late last year to visit one of their sons. During a spot check for illegal immigrants in Florida, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement found that all the couple had were their social security cards.
They were ordered deported and were given a hearing date in Chicago. Armando said the judge took only the law into consideration and gave them until Sept. 26 to leave the country. They were also given a date to check in with the U.S. Embassy in Mexico to verify that they have left the United States.
Armando said that since they left their town in Mexico more than 30 years ago, almost everyone they had known has moved away. They would be moving back to a community where they are strangers, he said.
"When my boss heard about it, he said he would do everything he could," Armando, speaking through an interpreter, told the 50 or more people in the audience.
"He said, 'You can't go. We need you here.' He talked to lawyers, but was told it is not possible for us to stay.
Armando said it will be difficult for them to leave.
"We have been so involved in our community. We only know the people here. One of the things I want to thank you for is all of your support."
It could be three to five years before they are allowed to re-enter the United States, on a visitor visa, or 10 years if a family member can sponsor them as permanent residents.
Martina Keller, an attorney specializing in immigration law, said the Gomez's case illustrates how the immigration system under current U.S. law is broken. Keller, a pro bono advisor to the Archdiocese of Chicago's Campaign on Immigration Reform, said, "Immigration law is not made up of simple black-and-white rules. ... It's complicated for people like me, who practice this day in and day out." There are 12 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., Keller said, largely because of changes in the law in 1996.
Two competing immigration bills have recently passed the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. The House version, sponsored by Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., R-Wis. would classify illegal immigrants and those who help them as criminal felons.
In May the Senate passed an act that would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, create a temporary worker program, and reduce the waiting times for family reunification. It contains many of the elements of legislation that was co-sponsored by senators Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.
The differing House and Senate bills have not yet been reconciled.
Sensenbrenner, in calling for changes in the law, has said that the Senate bill provides illegal immigrants with what amounts to amnesty.
In a statement issued by Sensenbrenner in March, he said "When someone's first step in this country is taken in direct violation of our laws, I cannot support a process that allows them to continue residing in the U.S., while others wait up to 20 years outside the U.S. before they are able to take their first step into this country legally."
"The myth we have to bust is that undocumented immigrants are lawbreakers," Keller said. "The legal means for them are limited."
Greg Pierce, who also spoke at the meeting, urged those who attended to hold educational meetings at their homes and to talk to their neighbors about immigration reform.
"It's going to come to a head in the next year," he said.
Pierce's daughter Abby Pierce, a student at Loyola University, created a 20-minute DVD that documents the current state of immigration in the U.S. and people who are affected. Greg Pierce recommended obtaining copies of the DVD to show at individual meetings, and then ask guests take part in a dialogue about immigration reform.
The meeting was co-sponsored by the Committee of Racial and Social Justice and United Power for Action and Justice. The group also includes parishioners at Queen of All Saints Basilica, 6280 N. Sauganash Ave.
For further information about hosting a meeting call Greg Pierce, (773) 594-0695.
