Sunday, March 11, 2007

UPDATED: Dallas high school student sent to Haskell jail for being undocumented

By Larry James of Urban Daily

Updated 10:58 a.m., March 13, 2007

My friend Monica is 18-years-old.

She has lived in Dallas with her family since she was 5-years-old.

She is an honor student at a Dallas public high school where she is (was) set to graduate in about two months. She has made plans for college after graduation this spring.

She is a great example of the success and accomplishment of one inner city child who grew up in a very poor, but loving family here in inner city Dallas, Texas.

In so many ways she reminds me of my own daughters.

It is very possible that last Friday Monica's life took a drastic turn in a very different direction, a turn from which she may never recover.

Friday was "Senior Skip Day" at her school. Most of the senior class didn't attend classes.

A friend hosted a party for friends at a ranch in Greenville, Texas.

For some reason, the details are still unclear to me, the Greenville Police Department showed up at the party. Every student present who had valid identification was released and was free to go. Those students who had no identification were taken into custody.

Monica and two friends--one a cousin--were transferred to an immigration center here in Dallas. They were booked into the center too late in the day to allow anyone to make bail. As a result, they had to spend the night there.

Then, for some reason we don't understand, on Saturday morning, immigration officials transferred Monica and her friends to the Rolling Plains Regional Jail in Haskell, Texas just north of Abilene, almost 200 miles away from home. There Monica awaits some sort of hearing, though she does not know when it will be.

Got the picture?

A sweet, smart, naive, model high school student being held in a West Texas jail for being "undocumented." Even though she has been here for over a decade, and even though she, nor any other member of her family, has ever had issues with any authority in Dallas, she is now in jail.

The reason?

Current U. S. immigration policy is being driven by the decisions and the discretion of local municipalities. Federal immigration officials do not sweep public schools to pick up undocumented students. Nor do they insist that public schools deny these students entry. Federal immigration officials leave families alone for the most part, unless they encounter criminal behavior.

Sadly, towns like Farmers Branch and Greenville are taking a different approach. Kids like Monica pay the price.

I spent most of the day on the phone on Saturday trying to reach elected officials who might intervene for her. These efforts will continue. So far, I have been unable to accomplish anything real for her.

So, this morning my young friend finds herself in jail 200 miles from her mother and father and family. She is scared. She is alone. I pray she is not in danger.

Immigration provides lots of issues and material for abstract debate these days.

Monica moves the debate onto completely new ground, don't you think?

She is my friend. Her mom and dad are my friends. What she is going through is wrong. This is much more than a debate.

UPDATE:

A brief update on our friend, Monica.

After events last Friday (see my post on Sunday, March 11, 2007), Monica and her first cousin, Jose, spent the weekend locked up in the Rolling Plains Regional Jail located in Haskell, Texas, north of Abilene, about 200 miles from her home here in Dallas.

Her parents and family have been frantic, to say the very least. All of us who know and love her and her parents joined them in a long, tough weekend.

Monday morning, thanks to an extremely generous donor and friend of CDM and this family, Monica and Jose were bonded out of the detention center.

If I reported the cost of the bond, you would be shocked. Two very fine high school seniors, far from criminals in any sense of the word, were forced to come up with an outlandish amount of money to secure their release while they await a hearing before an immigration judge.

After paying the bond in Dallas at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE--formerly Immigration and Naturalization Services), the same donor drove to Haskell and brought the two young people home on Monday evening.

So, last night rather late, we enjoyed a "reunion party" at the home of one of our CDM team members and her family who lives here in the neighborhood.

It was an amazing evening.

The love that flowed between the two families of these two wonderful young people touched me deeply. Lots of tears. Monica's father and Jose's father are twin brothers. The connection among all of the members of these two families is amazing to watch.

It was a powerful time, as all of us who are friends observed the tearful, j0yous reunion. And naturally, we enjoyed our share of hugs and tears and laughter all around as well!

When the initial welcoming was complete, we joined hands in a circle and we prayed a prayer of thanksgiving and we asked the Lord to bless Monica and Jose and their families. We prayed for an end to the current immigration insanity in our nation and our state. We asked God for a just, fair and equitable solution to our national hesitancy. We stood in solidarity, community and oneness, as an extended family. The fact that we were black, brown and white didn't matter to anyone. The fact that some of us spoke Spanish and some English and some both didn't matter either. We were all grateful to be together. We were proud to call each other "friend" and "amigo."

Afterwards, we all enjoyed a great meal and lots of fellowship.

It was a night I know I will never forget.

I'll have more to report in the days ahead. For now please know how much Monica, Jose and their family appreciate your concern.

I have a feeling that the story and experience of these two great teenagers may make a difference in the struggle to see a just plan for immigration reform enacted.

Things are not right in this nation today.

See more stories in:

• Immigration
• Dallas ISD

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