Say his name: Alonso Guillen. He is the face of DACA.
He died a hero, unselfishly trying to save others during Hurricane Harvey’s floods.
Mr. Guillen was a DACA recipient.
These are the very people Donald Trump wants to deport. People who contribute greatly to our country. People who look to America for a better way of life. People literally willing to give their lives for their fellow citizens.
We have a disgrace as President. Donald Trump is a stain on our nation.
Alonso Guillen, a 31-year-old disc jockey from Lufkin, disappeared on Wednesday around midnight along with two friends after their boat hit the bridge over the creek and capsized. One of them was rescued after clinging to a tree in the rushing water, but days later, after the rains let up and the creek level receded, Guillen and Tomas Carreon Jr. were still missing.
Searchers spotted Carreon's body floating down the wide, swift-moving creek on Friday around 1 p.m.
On Sunday afternoon, Guillen's body floated past a sandy berm where family members had been keeping watch for days, staring out at the murky water. A relative dove in and pulled him to the shoulder of the creek until they were able to bring a boat over to get him onto shore.
Guillen's father, Jesus Guillen, said he'd asked his son not to try and rescue people in the storm, but he insisted, saying he wanted to help people. He cried and prayed on Sunday afternoon as they pulled his son's body from the water.
"Thank you, God," he said, "for the time I had with him."
Alonso Guillen was a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which temporarily lifted the threat of deportation for immigrants brought to the U.S. before they were 16, family members said.