Thrown Out

My house was supposed to be cleaned today.  But instead I got a tearful call from the El Salvadoran woman who comes every 2 weeks.  She said she was too sad to work today because her boyfriend had gone back to her country.

I had thought the man she lived with who was presumably the father of her two children was her husband.  I had seen him only once when he came with a big truck to take away some furniture we were getting rid of.  I had the feeling he was gainfully employed and they were living comfortably in Woodbridge.

I know nothing of the details, but I am presuming this man was suddenly deported.  Hardly anyone who is here legally from El Salvador chooses to go back.

I’m now wondering whether her tears were perhaps tears of fear that she would be the next to go.  I’ve never asked if she was here legally.  I suppose I’ve never wanted to know.  She and her mother have been here for at least 25 years, but that does not give them legal status.

The children were born here, but who can say what would happen to them if their parents both had to go back to El Salvador.

This is a dilemma facing more and more immigrants as the conservative element in this country pushes for a crackdown.  Have they really thought about who would do the millions of jobs now being done by immigrants?  Have they realized that those of us who are not Native American by descent all came from someone who immigrated to this country sometime?

I knew this was happening all over the country, but not until that phone call today did I get a glimpse of what it really means.  I hope this family will survive and will some day be together again, but the odds are probably against that.