Trump-Era Deportations Begin With a Married Mom of Two Who's Lived in the U.S. for Decades

[arithia]

(putting this here as I'm not sure if it went up in breaking news yet. linking to both the Jezebel article for the protest photos and the orig Times article. Text is from Jez)

At least seven protesters were arrested in Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday night after Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos, a 35-year-old mother of two American teenagers, was arrested and set for deportation in accordance with Donald Trump’s executive order expanding the definition of “criminal alien.”

The New York Times reports that Rayos, who was convicted in 2008 of using a false social security number to obtain employment—common for otherwise law-abiding undocumented immigrants—was allowed to stay in the U.S. after a judge issued a deportation order against her in 2013 because the Obama administration prioritized deportations of people with gang ties, who were deemed a threat to public safety, or who’d committed serious felony offenses or a series of misdemeanor crimes. Under Trump’s recent executive order, however, all undocumented immigrants convicted of or believed to have committed a criminal offense—like crossing the border illegally—are up for deportation, and the ICE has stopped granting requests for prosecutorial discretion.

Rayos has not lived in Mexico since she was 14 years old, and attended scheduled meetings with the ICE every 6 months. “We all knew something could be different this time with the new administration,” Carlos Garcia, director of the immigrant advocacy group Puente Arizona, told the Los Angeles Times. “She went in with the lawyer and didn’t come out. That was pretty much all there was.”

http://theslot.jezebel.com/trump-era-deportations-begin-with-a-married-mom-of-two-1792169868

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/08/us/phoenix-guadalupe-garcia-de-rayos.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

[hurple]

1. Deplorable

This is horrible. This should not be happening.

[Initech]

4. And the deplorables are OK with this.

This is not who we are!

[etherealtruth]

5. Not just "OK' ... the vile creatures applaud this

[Initech]

6. Calling them "deplorable" is being too kind.

"Heartless fucking unconstitutional traitors" is more like it.

[hurple]

2. If he wants to deport all illegal aliens

He should start with the original illegal aliens. I say any non Native American, European descendant needs to go!!

GET OUT! ALL OF YOU!!!

[Vinca]

3. If she was going to be deported over a felony, it should have happened in 2008. It's not right

to make an agreement with a person and then rescind it out of the blue.

[neeksgeek]

7. Trump is altering the bargain.

That method always worked well for Darth Vader.

[Jose Garcia]

8. A convicted felon probably isn't the best poster child for immigration reform

[arithia]

9. She used a fake SSN to get a job, not rob a bank

Let's keep things in perspective here.

This is a common problem for "illegal" immigrants who want a job. She was an otherwise law abiding citizen who came here as a child.

[Jose Garcia]

10. It is a serious crime. That's why it's a felony.

Congress determined that it was a felony rather than a summary offence or a misdemeanor.

[arithia]

11. oh fer cryin out...

There is no such thing as a perfect candidate for immigration reform Poster Child, particularly with regards to undocumented immigrants. Many have a record for driving without a license or for other offenses like using a fake SSN. These are non-violent offenses that are incurred for trying to engage in normal, routine behaviors in our society when one is unable to obtain documentation.

The only way to avoid such offenses if you are already HERE, which is a problem faced by many who were brought here as CHILDREN, is to avoid jobs that require documentation. This forces undocumented immigrants into work and living situations that are hazardous and frequently exploitative. Undocumented immigrants pick our produce for pennies on the dollar every damn day of the year. Countless immigrants are subjected to lost wages with no recourse. Still others are forced into modern day slavery-type situations as people take advantage of their undocumented status.

This woman wanted to put food on the table for her family. She isn't a violent offender. If you want to equate that with a bank robber or a con artist because of the felony label, go right ahead.

I personally have more f*cking compassion than that.