http://khastv.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=7790

Immigrant mothers allowed back home
Dec 14, 2006

By Robert Price Not all of the suspected illegal immigrants detained in the raid are in Iowa some are back in Grand Island. In cases where married couples with children both worked at Swift and were detained, the mother has been allowed to return to her kids.

One of the alleged illegal immigrants is back at home, but her husband is still with authorities somewhere in Iowa.

The 261 suspected illegal immigrants detained in Tuesday's Swift raid were made up of both men and women, some of whom were married to each other.

If they had kids, the mom could go home.

Thursday News 5 spoke to one of those moms to get her perspective of the raid from the inside.

The mother and father of these two kids worked at Swift for three years before Tuesday's raid.

Their mother is now back at home.

She does not want to show her face or say her name, but through an interpreter, she will talk about the raid.

“Everybody started running - they was hiding,” she said. “They told me we had to run away because immigration was coming.”

She says the ICE agents moved quickly and were to the point.

“Told us to put away the knives and because we had no immigration papers we had to leave. They were so happy because we were going to be deported.”

After spending almost 12 hours with agents, she learned she would be released.

“If they have relatives they will not release them, but here, since we both worked, they let me be with my kids.”

As for her husband, who is still detained…

“Maybe they make him leave, maybe he can stay with a good record, maybe because we have two kids.”

She just says she wants second chance.

“I hope they give me a year, 6 months to fix everything and I can stay with my kids.”

The woman we spoke to is originally from Guatemala.

Another reason she thinks immigration may not deport her is because she came here when she was only 15. Or at least she hopes.

For now she does not see herself looking for new work anytime soon or even leaving the house.