All parents worry about their children. Especially when they start to drive. And when they begin to experiment with alcohol.
I remember the phone call. "Dad, I really messed up big time." He had changed the birth date on his driver's license and tried to buy some beer. His license was suspended for six months, and he had to pay a fine. At home we added something extra to his "sentence." But he eventually worked it all off. He's now a responsible adult, a great dad and an excellent sixth-grade teacher. Maybe he's got good radar for sixth-grade mischief because he pushed that envelope a bit when he was young.
My son was privileged. A mishap like that was just a bump in the road for him. Veronica Rodriguez is not so privileged. A similar mishap involving one of her children can mean jail and deportation for them.
Veronica moved here from Mexico in 1996. Her son Erick was almost three; Alan was one-and-a-half. Veronica was rejoining her husband here where he had worked a good factory job since 1989. Veronica didn't immigrate legally. She was poor. It takes people like Veronica around 15 to 17 years to immigrate legally, if at all. Across the border were opportunity and family.
The boys attended Jefferson Elementary, Holt and Ramey, and graduated from Fayetteville High. They both would have liked to have gone to college, but it was unaffordable without a scholarship. Undocumented students are ineligible for scholarships and pay the higher out-of-state tuition.
Both boys received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status last May, so they have Social Security numbers and drivers licenses. But Erick is now in an immigration detention center in Louisiana facing possible deportation to Mexico, a country he does not know. Here's what happened.
Erick and Alan had been partying with friends one April Friday night. They did the responsible thing and didn't drive home. Early the next morning they got up and headed back. Alan slept in the passenger's seat while Erick drove. The car was dirty, so Erick stopped at a car wash in Johnson. He too dozed off before starting the wash. A Johnson city policeman came to the car and asked Erick to step out. Erick passed the sobriety test and the breathalyzer. No alcohol or drugs in the car. The officer then handcuffed Erick and said he was under arrest for driving under the influence. Characteristically Erick remained polite and respectful throughout. When he got to the jail, he was booked for public intoxication, an offense when someone is endangering himself or others or creating an annoyance.
When they checked Erick's record, they found that he had a previous charge. Erick had faked a Social Security card in 2006. It was the year his father returned to Mexico because of the death of his father. Their mobile home had been damaged in the ice storm, and young Erick wanted to help. He faked an SSI card and went to work. He got caught. That's a felony.
Under our current immigration policy, the U.S. is routinely deporting undocumented people with a felony. They are considered criminals. That's the language you hear on the news.
Erick doesn't seem very criminal. His dream is to become a Catholic priest. He's served several missions with his church. His mother says the only time she didn't bring his work-money to give it to her was when he went on a Catholic Heart Work Camp mission trip to Illinois. He took $400 of his own money to buy food for the homeless. Whenever the group ate, he ordered extra and gave out meals with a prayer. His example became a trend adopted by the rest of the youth on the trip. Erick helped a woman who was a hoarder clean her house that week. On another trip to Kansas, he was a big brother for kids in foster homes and daycare. He's described as clam, relaxed -- someone who loves to help people.
In the detention center in Louisiana he's leading Bible and prayer groups and helping with translating. On the phone he told his mother to keep praying. "Have a good heart so God can see your heart, too."
Erick and Alan both volunteer for Arkansas United Community Coalition in their "Change Agent" leadership program. AUCC has a petition drive supporting Erick's release: http://is.gd/Erick.
Erick is one of ours. He's not bad or a threat. If he were white, this wouldn't have happened. Our immigration system is dysfunctional. It destroys families. Sign the petition, pray, and work for compassionate immigration reform.
Commentary on 06/09/2015