Mother Again Faces Deportation to Mexico

[DemFromMem]

Mother Again Faces Deportation to Mexico

By GARANCE BURKE
The Associated Press
Sunday, April 16, 2006; 12:43 PM

RAYMORE, Mo. -- Myrna Dick is desperate for her young son to take a nap, so she cajoles him with soft Spanish phrases.

"Vete a dormir, mijo," she says, telling Zachary to sleep as he fumbles for Teddy Grahams. "Take the bear in your arms and the two of you go lie down."

It's a suburban life, in a place that hosts fishing derbies and Easter egg hunts and calls itself the "Garden Spot of the State." But it's a life that Zachary, snug in his cornflower-colored jumpsuit, was very nearly denied.

In 2004, the government tried to deport Myrna Dick. It charged that she once lied to gain entry to the United States, that she claimed she was an American when she was in fact a Mexican.

<snip> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/16/AR2006041600318_3.html

This is a woman who actually grew up in Texas (as an illegal alien) and is the wife of a non-Hispanic US citizen and the mother of an 18 month old citizen who is about to be exiled for life because she allegedly claimed to be American when trying to enter the US. She's not a murderer or a child beater, a drug addict or a terrorist. She's just a mom and we're about to ruin three lives over something that while serious clearly does not warrant this kind of punishment. So much for family values.

By the way, this was the treatment she got when she was arrested for this civil violation:

"Six years later, the government reinstated the old deportation order under Treviso-Frias' name to take Myrna into custody. Myrna was three months pregnant. For two weeks, nauseous with morning sickness, she was shackled to the floor and bused from a detention facility in Versailles, Mo., to Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in Kansas City.

"When they sent her to jail, no one told her she could consult a lawyer," said Sharma-Crawford, an immigration attorney in Overland Park, Kan. "Then, when the case finally went to court, it was like having a murder trial by argument alone. We got no witnesses and could only present evidence that the government got to pick.""

Revolting.

[joemurphy]

1. Our immigration laws are a hodge-podge of absurdities.

Whenever I hear someone spout off about how we need to enforce them I feel the urge to spew.

[Maat]

2. That family needs to stay together.

Families should NEVER be broken apart like that (we are not talking about a situation involving the abuse/neglect of a child here).

This is a case in which common sense needs to prevail. Drop the old stuff, take into consideration the fact that she has been a good person and has participated beneficially in the community, and pave the way to a green card. Whichever prosecutor is holding onto this - you need to let it go!

[msgadget]

4. Common sense and some humanity would be nice

but, in this environment, she's lucky the paper picked up her story. Maybe now she'll be more than just another file to stamp. OTOH, this environment could insure her deportation.

Edit for spelling (again)

[bliss_eternal]

7. Absolutely--

there should be some sort of provision in this insanity to maintain family units. I sincerely hope they are able to stay together.

[msgadget]

3. What a nightmare

but since her husband applied for her to be a citizen because of marriage, why did she cross the desert to go to her grandmother's funeral? That implies she considered herself still illegal and would explain why she gave a false name when caught. I'm not saying she still wouldn't have been screwed if she'd been honest and said she was married to an American but it does explain why she's now viewed as a criminal. All she wanted to do was attend a funeral and now she may be seperated from her husband and deported. This is what happens when the government inadvertently creates an environment where lying is viewed as a necessity.

Edit for misspelling

[DemFromMem]

5. She also missed an opportunity to legalize in the 80s

The article indicates that she was eligible for amnesty at that time. But she was a kid at the time and a lot of people missed out who could have cleaned up their situations. One of the smarter items in the Senate bill is a provision which would provide a decent amount of grant funding for non-profits running educational programs to get the word out to potential beneficiaries on how to participate.

[msgadget]

6. Well, that does indicate more thought

than I'd given them credit for. Thanks for telling me Dem. I'm not being sarcastic, I just have little faith that the very human aspect of immigration is getting through to the politicos. I worry that they're far too concerned about voting blocs and providing cheap labor. I don't hear them working to solve the problems that force such migration and since they glossed over that I assumed they glossed over other things. This type of notification might have helped her but I'm not sure. The article said members of her family were granted amnesty yet they didn't say (as citizens with rights), 'Hey, what about Myrna?' At the very least one of them could've become her sponsor but it either didn't occur to them or they thought there'd be another amnesty. It's a shame...