Immigration Laws in Arizona Leave Children Without Parents

Note: This is the first in a series of guest posts by Pablo Alvarado from Arizona and the front lines of the immigration debate. The Second Installment was posted on Oct. 29.

In Arizona, law enforcement has two new tools in their supposed fight against immigration; ski masks and teddy bears.

Anyone in Maricopa County can sign-up to be part of volunteer posses that sweep through Brown neighborhoods on a self-described hunt. Upon taking up the task, they’re handed those two items, a ski mask to hide their identity and a teddy bear to hand to any children whose mother or father they rip away.

What’s happening in the state raises questions beyond our immigration laws. In seeing what’s happening in Arizona, we’re forced to ask ourselves — what kind of country do we live in? And in times of crisis, how shall we be together as a people?

My organization has long been committed to improving human rights in the state, but it wasn’t until I saw the video above that I, as a father, committed our all to doing whatever it takes to establish justice there.

Unfortunately, this is not rare footage. When we got involved, we met young people like Catherine. She is an exceptional person who has led a children’s march of hundreds chanting “Obama, we want our parents back,” and she has even testified in Congress. As incredible as that is, it is no burden a nine-year-old should have to carry. She got involved because she witnessed her own parents being detained by the Sheriff on television when she got home from school one day. After a sleepless night of tears, she found our member organization, Puente, and became an instant leader in the effort to keep families together and stop the traumatizing deportations devastating our homes.

After watching these videos, one has to ask, how did we get here as a nation? Is this the America you want to live in? Have we become so scared as a people that our national security looks like Catherine’s tears or anonymous armed men sweeping up citizens and non-citizens alike? Or, like the rest of us, are you ready to sign up and say “Alto Arizona”? (Spanish lesson: “Alto” means stop). For more information, go to AltoArizona.com.

With the country at a crossroads, I believe there is another way forward. I see it every day in the neighborhood defense committees that migrant, Latino, and indigenous communities are creating to protect themselves from out-of-control Sheriffs. I see it in the incredible art that has been created in response to Arizona’s injustices. I believe we can be a people that upholds our dignity, honors our diversity, and lives as community. But as Arizona is one dangerous destination for us, it will take us all to forge that path together.

Pablo Alvarado was forced to flee his native El Salvador and came to the U.S. with other refugees looking for odd jobs at low pay on street corners in L.A. Now, he is the director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, an organization dedicated to building a grassroots movement to achieve civil and human rights for low-wage migrant workers and all people.

Photo courtesy of HumanLeague002

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Joao M.

8:52AM PST on Jan 19, 2012

no messiah... the world will be free when finally we accept that we have nothing to change...
we just have to accept life and death .there is nothing out there that can really hurt us...there is nothing out there at all...i suggest a free online book, to all you adult humans...called butterflies are free to fly. i think its the peak of my spirituality...very cruel tough for non prepared humans...
love to all.
thank you bob

send a green star

bob m.

9:00AM PST on Jan 18, 2012

Yo Joao ; Sir; should we call you M$ESSIANIC man?.. just asking sir.
Now ; when you visit our little houses borderless, boundaryless, fields for your picking; can we count on you planting your seed amongst our little folk so that we can grow and learn of you throughout time .
All the hopes of man are surely born by your passionate arms ..by the great UNcompromised love in your heart which of course bears no agenda , nor hypocrisy, no mischief.
Some of your hopes are shared by many; but much of your approach is anything but Godly ..
Well; maybe just an autograph..huh?
We are more than conquorers through HIM (Jesus). .

Diane L.

8:35AM PST on Jan 18, 2012

Where on EARTH is this coming from, a YEAR after my comment? This is a very old discussion. No, not discrimination, just anger over illegal aliens and ILLEGAL migration or immigration, whichever is the proper term. I don't care if the illegals are Hispanic, green, black & white striped or purple.

BTW, in case you haven't noticed, Kadafi is dead.

7:56AM PST on Jan 18, 2012

Diane L., i wanted to say that any type of discrimination against people is racism... Hispanic or not... What about the Cubans and puerto ricans? what right do they have above mexicans?
Well... About the kadafi or Mubarak, without victims, oppression cannot exist...so its a game of power, who and what to let go?...it may be hard for you to understand now, but imagine a world with separated laws...laws really based in human rights. no borders just freedom to people and laws based in people's freedom of choice etc ... instead of a europian union a world wide union...freedom of movement so that people could move free in the planet to be able to find the best place to apply their creativity and own business job etc...don't you think america would be a secondary place then? and demography would be balanced in the world, without one or other desired place and fights of interests, imagine other sources of energy...do you think that would be a need to fight for petrol? don t you think if we could explore natural resources or other sources of energy in full, we wouldn't need conflicts, and maybe then all live in same life quality? Its terrible to be selfish... the world will soon be free. the awakening is happening...thx

9:41PM PST on Feb 24, 2011

Joao, are you for real? Do you NOT understand this isn't about race, so how can it be misconstrued as "racism"? It's about illegal aliens having children here and then being caught and deported. It wouldn't make one bit of difference what race they happened to be, but facts are that most of them are from Mexico, so I guess that would make them of Hispanic descent, wouldn't it?

As for one world, surely you jest! I doubt I'd want to live in a world without borders, without laws and where a dictator such as Mubarek or Gadafi could be in power of everyone.

2:05PM PST on Feb 24, 2011

I can't believe the comments i am reading here!!!
PURE RACISM! this kind of IGNORANCE disturbs me...
attacks from human beings to other human beings like as if there was no place in this world for everybody.
please think about it_why are you so angry? is it a good feeling? that kind of feelings and racism create so much conflicts in this world...oh boy . I have just a sentence to tell you maybe that way we could explore better every individual qualities to the whole: THE WORLD SHOULD BE UNITED AS ONE, NO BORDERS ANYMORE AND JUST ONE LANGUAGE. (the language of creativty, love and service to all) NOT ANGER OR PREJUDICE WE ARE MEANT TO LOVE EACH OTHER IN ANY SITUATION, SO LETS NOT BE SELFISH THINKING THAT PEOPLE ARE "ALLIENS" WHEN THE WORLD SHOULD BE FREE...I admire the strenght and free spirit of people that have the courage to be where their hearts live. Hopefully the world one day will be one, and these stupid laws will no longer exist to create limitations to human kind and to our birth right to have choice and be free spirits...thanks for your time...NAmaste

3:01AM PST on Jan 24, 2011

Robyn, this is a very old discussion, and only stumbled upon it again when deleting stuff from my Care.2's IN BOX. I'm sorry for your family's issues and I do understand your reasonings for wanting to come to the U.S., but times are not the same, and even though other countries are STILL causing horrific suffering to their own citizens, we shouldn't be responsible for taking in every person in every other country that wants to be here, rather than "there". Nobody yet has said they have a problem with LEGAL immigration...only the ones who sneak in this country in the trunks of cars, climb thru holes in fences on the border, in crates, etc. and then get jobs illegally, sending money back to their families "wherever" and not paying their fair share of taxes, yet demanding everything they can get for free. I believe the scenario in this discussion is supposedly having children abandoned here, after their illegal alien/immigrant parents FLEE. Again, the parents, IF they were concerned about those kids, wouldn't have been here in the first place ILLEGALLY, and secondly, they'd take the kids with them when the left. Yeah, all my fault. Wait! It's MY parents fault.

Robyn O.

6:15PM PST on Jan 11, 2011

Why do (any kind of) immigrants come to the US? Because there is absolutely no opportunity in their own countries. This has always been the case. Why can't their home countries take care of their own -- it's because they are all non-democratic oligarchies run by the few very rich. Those ruling classes don't care at all about their own poor. My ancestors were from Europe, and when they were threatened with death they came to the US. They had no choice, like immigrants today. Part of my family stayed in Hamburg until one of the children with eye problems had improved health. We just can't turn these people down, not if we have any empathy with them. We may think that there is a threat of millions of illegal aliens storming our borders and perhaps eventually taking over the country. But that isn't our fault ... it's the fault of the rulers of those miserable places and the Church which encourages endless growth of population, whether or not there are decent livings available. If I were in charge (fat chance of that!) I would go out of my way to come to agreements that encourage the opening up of these third-world countries to opportunities for their own poor and tell the Church to start thinking rationally in the 21st century. Prosperity and population control are the answers to illegal immigration, but would involve vast changes in our and their societies. But we should at least try to solve this problem in this way. Do we have a decent choice?

B J E.

2:08PM PDT on Nov 5, 2010

This is sad in our country esp! Thanks for the info I had no idea!

Oscar L.

9:42PM PDT on Nov 1, 2010

For many, many years I have practiced Medicine in USA (as pediatrician) my fee was not cheap $60 to 80 dollars per kid. And I had patients (children) American (from all the ethnic backgrounds) non American (from many ethnic and nationality backgrounds) and some of them their parents were not legal residents. In my profession you do not ask about green cards, ssn, passports or visas, you treated them equally, but ALL of them covered their fees with no problems, non of them were in welfare, cupons or any kind of government help,, while many of legal citizens NEVER covered their fees,,, Funny don't you think?