There are currently many Pennsylvania immigrants being held in detention. Each situation is unique, but many share common issues as well. A man in another state can relate to those who are husbands and fathers who are facing possible deportation.
This particular man entered the U.S. some 14 years ago. He later sent for his wife. The two built a life in the United States that includes the three young children they have together. The man describes himself as a hard worker who is willing to do jobs no one else is willing to do. He says he has lived, worked and paid taxes to the Internal Revenue Service all these years and is hoping his good standing in his community adds to his favor in court.
The man was one of more than 90 workers taken into the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during a raid on a meat packing plant. The man eventually secured his own release by posting bond after his family and friends donated funds toward his cause. He says he wonders why the U.S. government granted him a tax identification number and allowed him to pay taxes all these years if it now plans to deport him.
The man’s children and wife are quite worried, and his 11-year-old daughter says if ICE officers come to take her dad away again, she is going with him this time. The situation is far from over. While the man awaits his hearing date, he is prohibited from earning income in the U.S. He worries that his family will not be able to survive without his job. He has secured legal representation to help him try to avoid removal, which is something Pennsylvania immigrants threatened with deportation can also do.