The text message from my ex-girlfriend read, "Pablo was deported." Pablo (not his real name) is my ex's brother-in-law. I replied, "Really?" to which she sent, "Yea, he's sitting in jail right now."
A little background info, Pablo is married and just welcomed his second daughter into the world. His wife and daughters are U.S. citizens and he has been a legal resident for about seven or eight years. He and his wife own their South Jordan home, she worked at the DMV until the second girl was born and now she stays at home. Pablo works two jobs.
Pablo and his wife met while she was still living with her mom, her mom wasn't thrilled about the two of them seeing each other, so they ran away to Mexico. About a year later they decided to come back. I'm not sure if they were married yet or not, but I don't think they were because Pablo tried to use someone else's documents in order to get into the country. I say tried because he was caught and charged with impersonating a U.S. citizen and sent right back.
Then Pablo applied for and was granted legal residency. He had worked as a cook and chef at various restaurants ever since. After a while he decided he wanted to become a U.S. Citizen. Whoops.
He went straight from the interview to jail. After seeing him for the last time in the U.S. (for a while anyway) his wife was being escorted out of the building by an INS agent. Seeing she was distraught and perhaps recognized the stupidity of the situation the agent said, "You know, we're not charging him with a new crime. We're not going to be looking for him if he comes back. Just as long as he stays out of trouble."
Pablo's wife talked to several attorneys, all of whom said to fight it would be a waste of money and just prolong Pablo's jail stay, since bail was not an option. I guess the guy with a brand new baby and a house payment was a flight risk.
The U.S. immigration policy is ridiculous. Here's a guy who messed up about ten years ago, but since then has been trying to do it right. Why was he ever granted legal residency at all if the punishment for his prior offense was still in effect? How could his residency be revoked with no new charges? What the hell are we trying to accomplish with this policy of deportation with the understanding that if he makes it back into the country illegally nobody will be looking for him? Doesn't that just perpetuate the problem?
Somebody please fix this. It's broken.
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