The Ballroom
Mobilize & Organize for Immigrants
RECEIVED Tue., Nov. 12, 2019
Dear Editor,
Years ago, my father moved from Mexico City to Reynosa to build his career as an equine orthopedic surgeon. My father, like many others, was unlucky enough to be targeted by the cartel. He ran, but, knowing his family would never be truly safe, eventually escaped to the United States.
My father's life was the American Dream, until it wasn't. Living undocumented, he knew that he was a target for deportation in the land he had come to love. He waited until I went to college before he moved back to Mexico. He wanted to leave this country on his own terms but said I wouldn't feel it as much if I moved away for college. It wasn't any easier.
This May I'll graduate, but my father will not be there to see it. I cannot describe my feelings when my father talked about how times had changed here, his need to leave, or what it was like when he finally did.
This country that was supposed to be welcoming now builds walls and closes doors to those in need, even tearing children away from their families. My father prepared me for his departure, but many children are ripped away from parents without explanation, left alone.
As noted in “Amid New Immigration Policies, Local Attorneys and Immigrants Navigate a Broken System” [News, July 26], the system is deeply flawed. For so many there is no path forward and people are plagued with constant fear of deportation. My father feared this daily.
We must demand better. That's why I'm proud to join NOW on Sunday, Nov. 17, from 1-3pm in Houston for the “Unlock the Future for Women and Girls in Immigration Prisons” rally at Hobby Family Pavilion, Water Works/Buffalo Bayou Park.
We need to mobilize, organize, and realize that we have the power.
Years ago, my father moved from Mexico City to Reynosa to build his career as an equine orthopedic surgeon. My father, like many others, was unlucky enough to be targeted by the cartel. He ran, but, knowing his family would never be truly safe, eventually escaped to the United States.
My father's life was the American Dream, until it wasn't. Living undocumented, he knew that he was a target for deportation in the land he had come to love. He waited until I went to college before he moved back to Mexico. He wanted to leave this country on his own terms but said I wouldn't feel it as much if I moved away for college. It wasn't any easier.
This May I'll graduate, but my father will not be there to see it. I cannot describe my feelings when my father talked about how times had changed here, his need to leave, or what it was like when he finally did.
This country that was supposed to be welcoming now builds walls and closes doors to those in need, even tearing children away from their families. My father prepared me for his departure, but many children are ripped away from parents without explanation, left alone.
As noted in “Amid New Immigration Policies, Local Attorneys and Immigrants Navigate a Broken System” [News, July 26], the system is deeply flawed. For so many there is no path forward and people are plagued with constant fear of deportation. My father feared this daily.
We must demand better. That's why I'm proud to join NOW on Sunday, Nov. 17, from 1-3pm in Houston for the “Unlock the Future for Women and Girls in Immigration Prisons” rally at Hobby Family Pavilion, Water Works/Buffalo Bayou Park.
We need to mobilize, organize, and realize that we have the power.
Andrea Fernández
Austin National Organization for Women (NOW)
Austin National Organization for Women (NOW)
