Thread: Workers Caught in the Crossfire

http://www.gilroydispatch.com/news/cont ... p?c=190062

Workers Caught in the Crossfire

Saturday, July 15, 2006

By Tony Burchyns Staff Writer

Morgan Hill - They don't know why federal agents stormed the computer company they were working at the morning of June 13 - but it doesn't really matter.

All "Maria" and "Lupe" know is they are now facing deportation hearings, each facing uncertain futures in Mexico, a country one of them hasn't stepped foot since she was 8 years old, and where the other couldn't find work despite earning a college degree before leaving for the United States.

Both women, who will face immigration authorities later this month, were working at Sun Valley Technical Repair in Morgan Hill when the company was raided June 13 by agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI, the state Department of Motor Vehicles, the U.S. Postal Service and Morgan Hill police.

The women declined to give their real names for this article because they're involved in immigration proceedings. Records of their arrests have not been made public, according to a spokesperson from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

But both were eager to share their stories as they await - and fear - the unknown.

Maria, 23, said she has lived and worked in Morgan Hill since the age of 8. She hasn't been back to Mexico since she was ushered out 15 years ago by family friends. By age 19, her parents died, leaving her with no relatives in her native country.

"I'm really nervous," she said, fighting to maintain her composure. "I have no idea where to go, what to do."

After graduating from Live Oak High School in 2001, Maria worked a handful of jobs, supporting herself and her five brothers and two sisters living in the United States.

More than four years ago, she said, she started working receiving packages at Sun Valley Technical Repair.

For her part, Lupe, 30, crossed the border on a tourist visa five years ago, after being employed as a substitute teacher in Mexico. She grew up in Laredo, a small village of 3,500 residents in the state of Jalisco, managing to gain entrance into a university where she earned top marks. But despite earning a college degree and a teaching credential, Lupe said it was impossible to find a steady job because she did not know the "right" people.

"It didn't really matter if I have (studied for) a career," she said. "I didn't know anyone in the system."

In Mexico, she said, family members and friends often pave the way for each other to get jobs.

Frustrated with her lack of opportunities, she decided to visit her brother in Morgan Hill, who is a legal resident. But she misunderstood how long she could stay in the United States on her non-immigrant visa, which only gave her permission to travel to the United States until 2010. She didn't realize she had to leave by the date that had been stamped on her "I-94" card when she entered the country. In reality, she only had six months before she had to renew her "travel" status.

Not realizing her mistake, Lupe enrolled in English as a second language classes in Los Banos, hoping to earn a teaching credential in the United States. She eventually took a job receiving packages at Sun Valley Technical Repair last year, she said, to help her brother support their mother back home. Now, If she's deported, Lupe said her brother's income would be stretched out even further.

Not knowing where to turn after being busted in the June 13 raid, the women found support through Ed Sanchez, the former director of the Gilroy Citizenship Program. Sanchez helped Maria find an attorney who would work pro bono leading up to her hearing on June 25. Lupe said she will seek a public defender at her June 26 hearing.

"I think they are representative of 99.9 percent of people who are here without documentation," Sanchez said, alluding to the work-ethic and clean records of the women. "The hope and prayer is that the House and Senate will get together and produce a bill that will help more immigrants learn the language and the history of our country and continue living here."

But much to Sanchez's chagrin, the issue of illegal immigration remains a volatile debate nationwide, with more than 400 anti-illegal immigration measures proposed in U.S. statehouses this year, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"We're fighting a war in Iraq, North Korea is launching missiles, people are starving in Ethiopia - and this and gay marriage have taken the forefront, with everything else secondary," Sanchez said.

Lupe, of course, said anti-immigrant hardliners are missing the point.

"It's obvious that the people that harbor anti-immigrant attitudes don't understand the necessity of having to come here and help support our families," she said.

Added Maria: "Most of us come here to grow, to be someone. In Mexico, there's no chances."

Neither woman knows why Sun Valley Technical Repair was raided, but Maria suspects someone on the inside might have tipped off federal authorities to illegal activities.

Reached for comment Friday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Laurie Haley said 12 undocumented immigrants were arrested in the raid at Sun Valley Technical Repair. None of them, she said, has been charged with any crime other than residing in the United States illegally.

But a separate criminal investigation, Haley added, continues to unfold on other aspects of Sun Valley Technical Repair's business doings.

In Mexico, she said, family members and friends often pave the way for each other to get jobs.

And now they're doing it in this country, with the help of employers who prefer to ignore the illegal part.

managing to gain entrance into a university where she earned top marks. But despite earning a college degree and a teaching credential, Lupe said it was impossible to find a steady job because she did not know the "right" people.

Frustrated with her lack of opportunities, she decided to visit her brother in Morgan Hill, who is a legal resident. But she misunderstood how long she could stay in the United States on her non-immigrant visa,

Top marks at university but "misunderstood" how long she could stay on a tourist visa? Wah! Excuses, excuses. Gimme a break!

Maria, 23, said she has lived and worked in Morgan Hill since the age of 8. She hasn't been back to Mexico since she was ushered out 15 years ago by family friends. By age 19, her parents died, leaving her with no relatives in her native country.

Why would friends usher her out of Mexico at eight years old, leaving her parents in Mexico? I'm sorry, but that just doesn't make any sense. I wonder if these people tell these stories with a straight face?