More than 22,000 people have signed a petition in support of Melecio Andazola Marquez, an undocumented father who went into a USCIS appointment earlier this month for what he thought was a routine visit, only to be arrested by ICE agents. His daughter, Yale University senior Viviana, spurred to action, organizing an ICE phone banking station that drew hundreds of her classmates.
But while Melecio is not alone in spirit, he remains in detention, separated from his family—including four U.S. citizen kids—and at risk of deportation. “What happened to him is not an appropriate application of the law — it is cruelty,” Viviana writes in her New York Times op-ed. “It’s not just my dad’s story. Under President Trump, every undocumented person living in the United States is a target, a deportation priority”:
My father is undocumented but has lived in the United States since 1998. He has raised four children, all American citizens, on income from construction work. He pays his taxes and plays by the rules. He himself has been a perfect citizen — although, of course, he can’t call himself that.
Regardless of his status, he has earned the right to work hard without the constant anxiety of being apprehended. His children — of whom I am the oldest — deserve that peace of mind too.
Most people can’t wait to turn 21 so that they can drink. For me, it was the day I could finally petition the government to change my dad’s immigration status. I filed the paperwork in February and believed it would be the beginning of sleeping easier at night, of not worrying about “la migra” every time the phone rang.
Here’s a family that thought they were doing the right thing. They waited until they would be allowed to submit paperwork. They sent it in. They went to their scheduled USCIS appointment. Instead, they were punished.
What has happened to Melecio and his family is deplorable but not unique. Over this past year, ICE agents have arrested numerous undocumented immigrants who appeared at USCIS offices in Massachusetts, with at least four there for appointments to seek legal status. Two had no criminal record, others had traffic violations, but all had previous deportation orders.
Rather than seeking actual “bad hombres” and dangers to public safety, Donald Trump’s immoral mass deportation force is instead rounding up those coming forward to try and get right in the eyes of the government. For most undocumented immigrants already here, there is no line to get into for legal status. When others try, like in Massachusetts, they get arrested anyway. This is sending a dangerous message to immigrant communities, writes Viviana:
This is a grave national security mistake. As this administration creates more distrust and fear in our communities, it is not encouraging people to be honest with law enforcement agents. Undocumented people want to cooperate with the law, but there is no path for them to do so without jeopardy of detainment or removal.
So many families like mine are threatened by a deeply flawed immigration system in the United States, which is basically enforced in an ad hoc manner. If upholding the law is important, pulling families apart is no way to do it.
“His right and his family’s right to pursue happiness is inalienable,” said the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, one of the groups standing in solidarity with the Andazola Marquez family. Nationally, students from San Diego State University, Harvard University, Brown University, Barnard College, and nine institutions of higher learning have also expressed solidarity. “This administration is adamant on cruelly and unfairly tearing families apart, even those that are attempting to pursue the legal avenues available to adjust their status.”