Home raids by armed agents early in the morning or in the dead of night are the new normal for immigrant communities in our country. Families are torn apart as children lose their parents, many are left unsupervised without knowing where they were taken, or who will take care for them. These raids not only impact those who are arrested and deported, but disrupt and destabilize their families, and create panic among far greater numbers of immigrants in surrounding communities who fear they will be next. Transcripts of Videos Referenced in Chapter 3 Video Guide
“I was 10, almost 11 years old. . . . I remember I had to walk for about a week and a half, or two. In the desert, the mountains, the cold—with only water.”
Meeting My Parents
The First Time I Met My Dad
“For the first time I met my dad, it was very awkward for me. I didn’t grow up with him. I didn’t feel connected. When I saw him, you know, we just hugged.”
Deportation Story
They Deported Him
“I have a lot of questions of why they had to deport my dad. If the only thing he did was to defend himself. Because what he was arguing, that I know of, was, because of a week of work that his boss didn’t want to pay him.”
Losing a Father
I Needed Him
“At that moment I wanted to cry. I knew that that would be a great change for me. Because not having a dad is a big difference. Since that moment, I was 11, 12 years old, I had to take [on] a really big responsibility.”