Ok, so at the end of this post I've reprinted an article from the SLTribune about immigration. To see the article in its context go to: http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12185556
It's not like the story below hasn't happened before in a similar fashion (I write this because I swear it sounds like familiar trope in the immigration debate: man and family want better life - man brings family after significant sacrifice to country not his own to seek this better life - man and family achieve moderate success (steady or at least available employment for man etc.) - man or someone in family is suspected of everything but nothing - police and la migra find excuse to ask for documents - man does not have documents (in this case not even false documents) - police under authority of la migra (not for long: "deputize that man and get him an interpreter") - police and la migra demonstrate discriminatory behavior ("file that reel under "attn: Final Judgement") - family is broken up under threat of 'real' break up (I'll come to this later) - red-state-necks hoop and holler in triumph - blue-state-bloods point crooked fingers - future uncertain for everyone.
Ok, so I actually know this family. Does this change my opinion about this story? Of course it does. My history with him and his family illustrates a particular Mormon line withing the immigration debate.
I know them from my mission. To be frank, they come from a part of the Greater Buenos Aires area that is generally and specifically avoided by all non-residents of that area (they live in a county that's named 'La Matanza' for goodness sake (I pretty sure it refers to the large scale butchering of prime, pampa-grass-fed Argentine cattle)). When I lived in that area this family was between jobs and so they would sell cheap otterpop-like ice cream from their home. They weren't by any means the poorest family around (that tells you something), but they did have frustrations with the lack of consistent opportunity in their country. Like many if not most Argentines, they are dedicated to their family, which means they are dedicated to anyone remotely related to them (cousins, cousins of cousins, etc). Despite these important familial considerations, this family of five (at that time) placed their hopes in a better life in the USA (USA! USA! USA! (ok, stop chanting)). As Mormons, they felt that their hopes would rest on surer ground in Utah. And to Utah they went.
I don't think I've read anything that has sufficiently addressed this phenomenon. Many illegal immigrants are in Utah because they are connected to people through the LDS church. These former missionaries seek to help these people, either directly or indirectly, to make their lives economically better. My family has helped many of our friends find a place to live, look for a job, secure finances (not co-signed but basically said "try this place and maybe this place"), move their belongings, and do many other little things to make their lives more comfortable. All of these families have helped us also. I admit that at first the thought that these families were clearly breaking the law perturbed me but my personal knowledge of their living conditions in their native country quickly ruled-out my reservations. "How can I say to these people 'no, you can't have a better life'" I would think to myself. Sure, there is a legal way to immigration but it is stuffed with stumbling blocks so that only those who already have money can overcome and achieve the 'American dream'.
Because of the unique immigrant situation within Utah society that either unites or divides members along certain ideological lines, I think the story of my friend is only the most visible of many similar cases. What can church members do? What should we do? Are we tied more closely to Cesar than to God?
The details this article doesn't mention may not shock anyone but I'll put them down here anyway:
- Though Brian had questionable friends, he was not in a gang. His girlfriend (who supposedly wanted to marry him to prevent his deportation) is the daughter of a cop. The most dedicated help to this family is 'their' missionary. He is a doctor (or dentist) in the Armed Services. Orlando owned his own bakery and paid his taxes. Many, many people helped Alejandra (the spouse) out when this happened and in an ironic twist, has strengthened her love for this country and its people. The police had Orlando and Brian sign a 'voluntary' deportation document. They made Brian sign first (he's 18 yrs. old) when his father wasn't around. They told Orlando that if he didn't sign that they would deport his wife and put his children in an orphanage (I'm not kidding). Immigration must have felt pretty stupid for their actions because they paid for all deportation expenses: the airplane tickets, the baggage fees, etc. And they haven't pursued Alejandra any more. Alejandra and her three children that stayed behind are flying back to Argentina soon.
Oh one more thing. I left the ad that was with the article for two reasons: the first is that I had a public speaking class at BYU with the guy in the ad and I can attest to his sliminess; second because the terrible juxtaposition of these messages causes me to more than reflect upon how I contribute to it.
Walsh: The other side of Utah's stab at immigration reform
Brian Pereyra was eating with some friends at the Betos restaurant in Provo last Friday.
Now, he's sitting in the Utah County jail.
How he got there is a murky tale of racial profiling and overzealous policing.
Police got a complaint the 18-year-old might have a gun. After they searched his body and car and found nothing, they followed him home. When his parents refused to let officers search their apartment for guns and declined to produce immigration documents, officers cuffed Brian and his dad, Orlando, and hauled them off to jail.
"We taught our children to respect and trust the police. But after this, they can't," says Alejandra Pereyra, through tears and an interpreter. "Instead of respecting them, they're afraid."
Pereyra's arrest seems like the final, degrading act to years of anti-immigrant Capitol Hill theatrics.
But state Rep. Mike Noel should be happy. After a week when urban police chiefs from Park City to West Valley questioned the wisdom of the Kanab Republican's legislative crackdown on undocumented immigrants, Provo put Noel's policing theories into practice. Officers jumped in with gusto to do lawmakers' bidding. Apparently, they even had an immigration agent along for the ride.
Orlando Pereyra works as a cook at a group home for disabled adults. Immigrants from Argentina, he and his wife came to the United States on a tourist visa and stayed when it expired in 2002. Now, she is trying
Point made. Criminal apprehended. The whole family is terrified.
But that seems to be the point for lawmakers intent on thumping their chests and tacking together too-easy fixes.
"This bill is about bringing the rule of law to thestate of Utah," Noel said when lawmakers debated the bill a year ago, "to not give people false hopes, to not, in any way, induce people to commit crimes. It sends a clear message that we intend to obey all our laws."
Sounds good. But life outside is always more complicated than it seems on the House floor.
"It was one of those feel-good laws. They wanted to do something," says Tony Yapias, an activist in Utah's Latino community. "They don't realize the harm they're doing. All of the sudden, all of us are being perceived as illegal immigrants."
While Ogden Police Chief John Greiner (not coincidentally, a state senator) worries about his city becoming a "sanctuary city," Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank has rejected his invitation to join Noel's immigration posse.
It's not a matter of turning a blind eye to criminal immigrants. In narcotics sweeps at Pioneer Park the past two months, Salt Lake City police, working in partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, detained 150 undocumented immigrants now facing deportation. But Burbank says harassing and intimidating law-abiding undocumented workers seems counterproductive.
"Traditionally, law enforcement has been horrible at this. We have fought so long and hard against racial profiling and everything that goes along with that," he says. "To now take a step back and treat people differently isn't going to expedite the process. All it will do is create a rift in our community and interject bias in what we do on a regular basis."
That's real world experience talking, not political hot air.
The Pew Hispanic Center just released a report debunking the lone wolf/day-laborer stereotype of America's wave of modern immigrants: They are more likely to be married and living in nuclear families than the U.S.-born population. They do 6 percent of the jobs in the country -- cleaning bathrooms and chopping tomatoes. And last year, illegal immigrants gave birth to 4 million American citizens.
Even Noel has to know: They can't all be deported.
