Thread: Families Head to D.C. to Protest Deportations

Families head to D.C. to protest deportations

Several South Florida families are planning to travel to the nation's capital this week to demand an end to deportations of undocumented parents who have U.S.-born children.
BY ALFONSO CHARDY
achardy@ElNuevoHerald.com
Every night before she falls asleep, Marlene de León worries whether she'll be jarred awake the next morning by immigration agents banging on the door to deport her mother who for years has lived in Miami without papers.

The fear inspired the talented 13-year-old middle school student to write a song about deportation that has become the anthem of a contingent of U.S.-born children who will travel to Washington, D.C., this week with their undocumented parents to march in front of the White House and demand an end to deportations.

Marlene and her mother Lily de León, 48, are among dozens of families planning to board buses in Miami Tuesday for the overnight trip to Washington to take part in the 2 p.m. event Wednesday.

Nora Sándigo, executive director of Miami-based American Fraternity, is the South Florida organizer for the Washington march, which is expected to draw dozens or hundreds of other children and parents from across the country.

The majority of participants will be like Marlene and her mother -- U.S.-born children accompanied by undocumented foreign parents.

``The idea is to show President Obama that deportations of undocumented people are having a severe impact on their U.S.-born children,'' Sándigo said. ``Children whose parents have no immigration documents lose sleep, are chronically stressed and depressed.''

Activists who oppose immigration reform say the parents' decision to remain illegally in the U.S. should not be rewarded by any suspension of deportations because they broke the immigration laws.

IMPORTANCE

In interviews last week, two South Florida families -- including Marlene's -- shared their stories with El Nuevo Herald in a bid to explain why the trip to Washington is important.

The trip itself will be a risk for many parents. They generally don't travel far from their homes because they have no driver's licenses or other official documents and are in constant fear of being discovered by immigration authorities.

``But we have to go because we have to send a message to the president that he has to solve the immigration problem, if not for us, the adults, then for our children whose lives would be shattered if we are deported,'' said Lily de León, Marlene's mother.

The bloody civil war in Guatemala led De León to flee. One of her husband's brothers was tortured and killed and one of her daughters was once kidnapped, though she returned unhurt.

Because of constant fears and threats and a divorce, De León left for Miami in 1992 with her three Guatemalan-born children. After overstaying her visa, she asked for asylum.

Initially, life was good and De León made enough money to support herself and her children.

In 1997, however, the first setback occurred when an immigration judge denied her asylum petition and ordered her deportation.

A year later, De León got married again -- to the same man she had divorced in Guatemala, Mario de León, 61.

Threats also had forced Mario to flee Guatemala, but he settled first in California.

In the mid-1990s, Mario moved to Miami and proposed to his ex-wife. She accepted and they re-married in 1998.

They have six children, three born in Guatemala and three in Miami. Their names all begin with the letter M in honor of Mario: Marlon, Margarita and Marian from Guatemala and Marcus, Marek and Marlene from Miami.

Marlene is a student at Lawton Chiles Middle School and an accomplished guitar player and singer. She says she was influenced by her father, who used to be a salsa and pop music performer.

Growing up, Marlene gradually became aware that her mother had a persistent fear of immigration authorities because of the deportation order hanging over her. Her mother constantly warned her children not to open the door when someone knocked.

Then in 2005, family anxieties increased dramatically when immigration agents detained a Colombian family near their home.

``We all saw the arrests and we kept thinking they would be coming for me next,'' said Lily de León.

The raid, her mother's chronic anxiety plus frequent television stories about immigration agents showing up early at undocumented immigrants' homes led Marlene to write her deportation song, Don't Leave Me!

Its opening verse describes a child's memory of an immigration raid on her home:

``I don't know what's happening.

``Someone at the door is knocking.

``I hear voices, who can it be?

``It's not even dawn yet.''

Though her mother has not been bothered by immigration authorities, Marlene said she is constantly worried that one day agents will knock on her door and take her mother away.

``It's my fear every night I go to bed,'' Marlene said.

Marlene's mother believes her immigration fears will soon be over because immigration court officials recently agreed to reopen her deportation case -- giving her hope that eventually she'll get a green card.

Marlene says she plans to sing her song in Washington. When she sang it at a press conference in Miami last week, Marlene ended the performance with tears in her eyes.

FEELING PAIN

``I feel the pain of many other children whose parents could be deported or have been deported,'' said Marlene.

That happened to the family of Claudia Gaitán, a 29-year-old Nicaraguan also planning to join the Washington march with her four children -- three of them born in Miami.

Gaitán's husband, Santos Vanegas, 36, was deported last year after police stopped him for driving without a license.

Gaitán now has to support her young children with money she earns cleaning houses.

Vanegas arrived in the United States first in 2004, crossing the border from Mexico without a visa.

A year later his wife and their 6-year-old son Kelvin arrived, also without visas.

They lived first in Virginia where Vanegas had a construction job. In 2007, the family moved to Miami when Vanegas got a construction job here.

Vanegas and his wife had three daughters here: Shirley, 4; Ashley, 2, and Yardley, 1.

In early 2009, Vanegas bought a used car and began driving even though he had no license. Last October, police arrested him for driving without a license. Immigration officials were alerted. He was deported in December.. Claudia is also undocumented, but has not been approached by immigration authorities.

``I don't know what my children would do if I get deported,'' said Gaitán. ``Already they are depressed because they miss their father. That's why we are going to Washington, to see if the government can help us.''

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/25/v ... otest.html

They should not have come illegally and then they would not have to worry! End of story

That happened to the family of Claudia Gaitán, a 29-year-old Nicaraguan also planning to join the Washington march with her four children -- three of them born in Miami.

Gaitán's husband, Santos Vanegas, 36, was deported last year after police stopped him for driving without a license.

Gaitán now has to support her young children with money she earns cleaning houses.

Vanegas arrived in the United States first in 2004, crossing the border from Mexico without a visa.

A year later his wife and their 6-year-old son Kelvin arrived, also without visas.

They lived first in Virginia where Vanegas had a construction job. In 2007, the family moved to Miami when Vanegas got a construction job here.
Vanegas and his wife had three daughters here: Shirley, 4; Ashley, 2, and Yardley, 1.

In early 2009, Vanegas bought a used car and began driving even though he had no license. Last October, police arrested him for driving without a license. Immigration officials were alerted. He was deported in December.. Claudia is also undocumented, but has not been approached by immigration authorities.

``I don't know what my children would do if I get deported,'' said Gaitán. ``Already they are depressed because they miss their father. That's why we are going to Washington, to see if the government can help us.''

She cleans houses for cash - her husband has a different last name and works for cash. They have popped 3 new "citizens" - If the State of Florida checked would it find that she is receiving aid for dependant children and WIC?

How about some pay stubs to show how much in taxes was paid and a tax return to check to see how much in unearned income was claimed and under what name.

Florida has a budget problem.......

Sounds like it's time to push for an amendment which clarifies they were never citizens.

Marlene says she plans to sing her song in Washington. When she sang it at a press conference in Miami last week, Marlene ended the performance with tears in her eyes.

Another tear jerker! Ever hear the song, hit the road jack!!

``I don't know what my children would do if I get deported,'' said Gaitán. ``Already they are depressed because they miss their father. That's why we are going to Washington, to see if the government can help us.''

I suspect our government has already given you plenty of help in the way of welfare, wic, section 8 housing, etc! There's no help left for invaders like you!

Originally Posted by NoBueno

Marlene says she plans to sing her song in Washington. When she sang it at a press conference in Miami last week, Marlene ended the performance with tears in her eyes.

Another tear jerker! Ever hear the song, hit the road jack!!

Actually the 80's song by Genesis It's No Fun Being an Illegal Alien.

Other nations never were so nice. The US was nice. Now we are broke. Time to go home. We need a total overhaul of everything. No more special privileges for foreigners before citizens. It all needs to be accounted for and come to an end.

We are not animals! No one wants to see families broken. The government said it will not stop people from taking their kids with them back to where ever they came from.

Moving from Other Topics to News since this relates to illegal immigration.

Protest this,protest that,whine about this ,whine about that. You are the one that made the decision to break the law. In most countries there are consequences for ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR. But since our Federal Government sees fit to aid and abett Illegals,they (Illegals) just keep getting braver and braver about telling United States Citizens to shove their laws up their @#$%ss !! GO BACK TO THE COUNTRY THAT YOU CAME FROM,AND TAKE YOUR ANCHORS WITH YOU End of story