I opened my computer while drinking my lunch smoothie, to be confronted by an urgent Facebook post from my dear friend. It read "Arturo was arrested by ICE this morning at work. If you can, please come to the ICE agency at XXXX address." Arturo Hernandez Garcia was the first person in Sanctuary in Denver. He stayed with the First Unitarian Society for nine months and left under pressure to rejoin his family and resume his work. At the time of his leaving sanctuary, he was reassured by ICE that he was not a priority for deportation.
But now Trump is in office, and according to ICE, "There are no priorities, or rather, everyone is a priority." ICE agents spent time and money to trail Arturo, planning to arrest him while he picked up tile for his current job (he has his own business). They spent additional time and money processing him at headquarters and then moving him to detention at the GEO Corp. - run facility in Aurora. A devoted husband and father of two daughters, Arturo has never committed a crime, only a civil offense in overstaying his original visa.
Arturo and his wife Ana have tried every means of staying in our country legally. They had her parents, a legal permanent resident and citizen, petition the courts. They petitioned directly through Congressman Ed Perlmutter, through Congresswoman Diana DeGette. They built community through their churches and neighbors. Our broken immigration system did not relent, did not allow for a legal process that would keep Arturo with his family, business and community. The fault is ours.
As I perused news articles online yesterday, I scanned the comments for words of support. I didn't find any positive sentiments, however, only this: "Good! Send back his wife and kids, too." or "It's about time our laws meant something." What if our laws are broken? What if net immigration from Mexico is at zero (which it is)? What if jobs go without applicants because of our backwards system? Why do I never hear about white people being deported, even though Canadians overstay their visas more than any other group? Why can't we keep families together, instead of ripping good men and women from their jobs, their homes, their daily routines?
These questions paralyzed me for a few minutes until I jumped in the car to join a group of a dozen or so protesters. We swapped names, picked up posters, began chanting. Some tears trickled down faces, but laughter also emerged at our poor singing voices, our rusty Spanish. Hugs exchanged all around led to instant community. Ana, Arturo's wife, was supported, even as she took a call from her daughter and had to explain the awful news. Can you imagine saying "Dad was arrested, He's going to jail and then leaving the country forever.?"
I'm thankful at least for good people, standing up to combat injustice. My hope assaulted and faith renewed in the same afternoon. We cannot allow our neighborhoods to be terrorized, accept that law-abiding families will be broken in the name of misplaced fear and ignorant anger. Please join us, and if you feel moved, please support the Metro Denver Sanctuary Coalition in their work to protect Arturo, Jeanette and Ingrid (https://www.metrodenversanctuary.org/).
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