Category: Uncategorized

Thanks to Jay Johnson-Castro for alerting us to this story.–gm

IMMIGRATION

Family divided at U.S. border reunited in Miami

A Cuban man has an emotional airport reunion after his Venezuelan-born wife and children are released from a Texas immigration detention center.

BY ALFONSO CHARDY
achardy@MiamiHerald.com

Immigration authorities Friday abruptly released the Venezuelan-born wife and children of a Cuban refugee who was paroled into the country on the same day his family was put in deportation proceedings at the Texas-Mexico border.

An emotional Ocdalis Gómez, 22, and her children Abel, 2, and Winnelis, 6, immediately boarded a plane in Austin, Texas, bound for Miami, where they rejoined Abel Gómez, 30 — the Cuban migrant who for weeks desperately tried to gain freedom for his family.

When Abel and Ocdalis reunited at Miami International Airport, the husband and wife held each other tightly for a few seconds while their children stared in awe at the television cameras trained on the family. Then Abel Gómez picked up the children, hugged and kissed them and proudly displayed one on each arm for the cameras.

”I’m immensely happy,” he said when he finally was able to speak, tears rolling down his cheeks. “Thanks to God, I am now next to my family again.”

The Gómez family showed up June 11 at a U.S.-Mexico border crossing near McAllen, Texas. As a Cuban, Abel was paroled into the country under the wet foot/dry foot policy, but Ocdalis and the children were detained and placed in deportation proceedings because they were non-Cuban foreign nationals arriving without papers.

Gómez is among an increasing number of Cubans arriving through the Mexican border. Figures released last week by U.S. Customs and Border Protection showed that 84 percent of all Cuban migrants last year came through Mexico rather than the Florida Straits. Cuban arrivals at the Mexican border have increased year by year amid intensified Coast Guard interdictions in waters between Cuba and Florida.

With a wide smile on her face, Ocdalis said Friday she was happy to be with her husband in Miami — but added she also felt deep sorrow for other foreign families she came to know at the detention center who were left behind while she was freed.

”I am extremely happy, of course,” she told reporters gathered at MIA. “But I also feel sadness.”

She paused for several seconds and then burst into tears. ”Some people qualify for bond and release, but because they don’t have money for bond they are deported with their children,” Ocdalis said, sobbing as she spoke. “It’s very hard being there.”

See Complete Story

By Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL)
Congressional Record
June 12, 2007 (H6272-H6273)

I also remain concerned about the ability of DHS to recruit and train an additional 3,000 new Border Patrol agents funded by the bill. Given attrition rates, this means that Border Patrol will need to hire and train approximately 4,400 agents a year. While I support putting more boots on the ground as quickly as possible, I am convinced that the current approach DHS is using cannot meet this goal.

I am also concerned that it continues to cost $187,000 to recruit, train and deploy just one Border Patrol agent. The Subcommittee on Management Investigations and Oversight plans to hold another hearing on Border Patrol agent training costs in its capacity next Tuesday. It is my hope that the findings from this hearing will be considered by the House and Senate conferees on this bill to improve the way DHS recruits and trains Border Patrol agents.

Note: $187,000 x 4,400 = $822.8 million

Email from Jay Johnson-Castro

A smashing success…!!!

On Saturday (July 14)…two significant protests against the wall were held. Thought I’d give a brief summary on both.

On Saturday morning, Betty Perez and company…or the Lower Rio Grande Valley area…coordinated a flotilla of kayaks and canoes. Betty was the coordinator of this event…which was hosted by “noborderwalls”…a group of environmentally savvy folks (groups.yahoo.com/group/noborderwall ). To my knowledge…this is the most cohesive group on the US-Mexico border so far. It includes some caliber minds from around the Valley who are using their creative juices to collectively oppose the wall.

We launched up river from Roma in a secluded village along the banks of the Rio Grande called Fronton. Media was converged in ample numbers…including AP, Reuters, San Antonio Express News, Univision, local CBS and a diverse group of local journalists.

We floated down to the historic suspension bridge that connects Roma and Miguel Aleman. The Miguel Aleman Mayor joined the flotilla. His family was on the bank downriver as we paddled by. When we got to the suspension bridge…there was a rally, press conference…and then…a “Hands Across the River”. A human chain that virtually stretched across the international bridge.

In the evening, we attended a protest in Brownsville. I was coordinated and hosted by a group called CASA, under the direction of Elizabeth Garcia. Again, the media was plentiful. After a rally, there was another human chain…which felt more symbolically a human wall along the banks of Rio Grande…in opposition to the border wall. After the chain…there was a march from the park through downtown to the campus of the University of Texas Brownsville (see photos at Unidos Contra El Muro).

In both cases, elected officials showed up in support. The diversity of participants reflected those of us who reside on the border. There was no lack of color, size, age, religious affiliation. There was not lack of opposition to the wall. Lots of interviews were taken. Lots of pictures and video. Lots of sound bites…of diversified feelings about the wall. Mission accomplished!

This took the collaboration, coordination and willingness on the part of many folks…who may not have been heard or had their quotes or pics in the paper and on TV. Hopefully you can feel the reward of seeing the fruits of their labor. We’re grateful to you…

Jay

Freedom Walk from Heritage Park, Taylor, Aug. 18 at noon

Activists will gather once again from San Antonio, Fort Worth, Austin, and surrounding areas. Beginning at Heritage Park (4th and Main) at noon, we will proceed south on Main over the railroad overpass (Main /Hwy 95). After crossing the I-95 overpass we’ll turn right onto Martin Luther King /Walnut, right on South Doak and left on Welch to the prison where we will hold a vigil and protest.

Antonio Diaz says “Our Freedom Walk will symbolize a “Freedom Bridge” that we are traversing in order to Free the Children. Dr. King reminded the people that everything done in Nazi Germany was legal. In this case, our government is violating International Law.” Our government is violating its own law as well; a 1993 Supreme Court decree requires ICE to keep children and parents together if possible and hold minors in a nonrestrictive setting.