The President of the United States decided that on Sunday, January 26th he would send Border Patrol agents to raid all of the job sites in the Inland Empire during which Hispanic pickers got pulled away from their jobs. Wait, didn’t we just witness Mexico’s fire department coming down here to help with the massive wildfires that were spreading, yet this is how they treat people?
They repay them just a couple of weeks later by deporting our Mexicans and Hispanics who wake up at three a.m. and go to work in the fields to pick all the produce that is in our grocery stores. Without them, how will you eat?
This topic of immigration “reform” and the disturbing story it is, have affected me tremendously. It feels personal because my mom is an immigrant here in the United States, but she has not done any wrong, She is just trying to work to provide for her family. She gets turned down jobs because of her status because she needs to have a work permit to be able to have any job due to being an immigrant. Hearing about all these raids happening in every city of Orange County is scaring us all because they are where she works in Huntington Beach. I worry for her every time she has to leave at night for work.
I always pray that nothing happens to my mom because she is the only parent I have left. My father passed away in 2019 which took a big toll on my life as well. I just don’t want to keep waking up in fear that something bad will happen to my mom when she is just trying to go to work. I keep seeing on every social media platform people posting to protect others and their families where they see border patrol, and where they are doing random stops, and it just hurts my heart knowing that every Mexican and Hispanic is living in fear once again. All this is happening as a result of the election because the people wanted Donald Trump back as President. His supporters claimed, “he did well for us” but I have to ask, What is he doing for you now?
His executive orders have hurt our people, and this is all in the name of making America, “a safer and better place again.” Wanting to make it a better place doesn’t mean you have to threaten and harrass people into living in fear. It isn’t right to make children fear something will happen to their parents or their family members every time they step out that door.
The only reason I wanted to write this story today is because of the protests, but this is a story that dates back further and is directly rooted in the fact that my Mexican and Hispanic people have been living in fear their whole lives. Sure, the panic has gone away when the laws weren’t how they are right now. But right now we are all living in fear once again because of what is happening in our society and because of the president that you all decided to vote for. We Mexican and Hispanic teens and kids shouldn’t fear that we won’t have our parents coming home to us. We shouldn’t have to experience a day when we go home from school and find our parents aren’t there.
My mother has an immigration status listed as pending. Because they keep changing the date for her going to court (which will determine if she will be able to stay in the US for good) she is an easy target for deportation. She would like to be able to travel anywhere without the fear of being deported, and this pending status also determines her fate (if she doesn’t get that right and has to be sent back).
The police and the border patrol do not care about what you have pending or what you are waiting to hear from a judge about. They will take you, and that is the scariest part of it all. My family and I shouldn’t be living with this unnecessary fear haunting our every move. We shouldn’t be worried about what street we turn down or where we need to go.
I don’t want to keep living in fear, and if you don’t either, you should do something about it. Maybe you are. Maybe you have joined in one of the many peaceful protests or gatherings happening in or around your neighborhood.
There is a community forum tonight (Tuesday, Feb. 4th) at Savanna High School at 6 pm. It is important that you know your rights. Come learn how we can support one another during these challenging times.
