Nightmare at the Border

[maryf]

Nightmare on the Border

Liz Larios deported to drug-riddled town in Mexico
By Rick Coates

For all practical purposes Liz Larios considers herself an American.
She graduated from Traverse City Central High School and has lived in
the United States for the past 18 years since the age of six. Since
high school, she has been holding down two jobs to pay her bills and
planned on marrying her boyfriend of six years, Russell Horn, sometime
next year. There was just one problem, the 24-year-old Traverse City
resident was born in Mexico.

On Tuesday November 9, Liz Larios was out in her yard with her dog
when a large black SUV pulled up, two man dressed in black suits
approached her asked for her name, handcuffed her and took her away.
The men were agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE
-- the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland
Security). Her arrest was part of a sweep through Northern Michigan
that led to the arrest of 17 individuals believed to be illegal
immigrants.

"I came home from work and new something was up; we only have one car
and she was not home," said Russell Horn. "We were getting along great
and besides some money issues we were living a fairytale life, so I
knew she hadn't left me. I called her sister and she told me that the
ICE agents had been to her house and had taken her parents as well."
Horn learned the fate of his fiance two days later when she was
finally permitted to call.

"I was mortified. They didn't even identify themselves and they
wouldn't let her change her clothes, she was in her pajamas. Then they
drove to her parent's house arrested them and then headed off to
McDonald's where the agents went in and had lunch while all the people
they arrested waited in the vehicles handcuffed," said Horn. "After
lunch they proceeded to a detention facility in the Soo. Well, Liz
was crying hysterically as she didn't know what was happening to her
or her family. The one agent kept yelling at her to quit her crying
and repeatedly told her to 'shut the f*ck up.' Well, he got fed up
with her and radioed to the vehicle ahead to pull over. He got out
and dragged Liz's mother back to vehicle with Liz in hopes that would
shut Liz up."

MUCH more at link...

http://www.northernexpress.com/editorial/features.asp?id=5040

800,000 people have gone through similar stories...

[maryf]

1. quick note: she had had a visa that expired...

THE ‘I DO’ OPTION
For Liz Larios, saying “I Do” is something that she wishes she might
have done three years ago.
“When she learned her visa had expired during a hearing in Detroit
four years ago I asked the attorney what I could do. The attorney said
I would need to marry Liz before the end of the day,” said Horn. “I
asked Liz but she didn’t want to get married under those pretenses. We
were young and we certainly didn’t understand the ramifications of our
decision at that time. We figured we would return home and save the
$10,000 needed to head to a border town and get her visa renewed.”
Horn expects to leave this week for Mexico. At press time, Larios had
been flown to the border town of Laredo, Texas and escorted in the
pajamas she was wearing when arrested to the Mexican line and
released. Horn had shipped clothes to Larios’ grandmother in hopes
that she and her parents would be able to make their way there.
These were Liz’s last words to her fiance before being deported: “This
will be the last time I talk to you, until I’m in Mexico,” said
Larios. “Don’t cry babe, I’ll be okay. My dad is with us again. I’ll
get a cell when I get there so that I can call you. You just wait up
there for your passport and drive safe.”

[rocktivity]

14. She gambled that nothing would happen despite her visa expiring--AND she didn't know that it had?

Well, she lost.

:(
rocktivity

[maryf]

16. how does one live without a heart?

:(

[rocktivity]

20. This isn't about my heart, but her her failing to follow up

She wasn't was the victim of a random sweep.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[maryf]

21. ok, just one of 800,000

just like this...Ice is surreptitious...

[47of74]

2. The GOP fails to see the real human stories here

Nope. Their too busy indulging their psychotic urges to give a fuck about the people being harmed by their refusal to deal with immigration reform in a serious manner.

[maryf]

3. But, but, they are illegal!

:grr:, they are human, with names, faces, etc.!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2eO65BqxBE

[TBF]

11. FYI, we've got a democratic president now. Agree that the GOP are psychotic,

but these raid stories are not from the Bush administration. It's happening right now under Mr. Obama.

[maryf]

4. Why would someone at DU unrec this sad story??

I hate the unrec button, but when folks don't explain why, it really gets to me...

[Starry Messenger]

5. Here's a k&r Mary

[maryf]

10. For the love of MIke!

thanks Starry!

[Starry Messenger]

12. Absolutely.

:thumbsup:

[crikkett]

6. I'm so very tired of reading emotional 'unrec' speculation

Sometimes people click it by mistake. I've done it in the past, and there's no undo.

The way rec/unrec has become a sport here at DU is the most unpleasant aspect of my experience on this board.

It also allows people to be way too insecure about what they post here.

To Maryf: thank you for sharing this important information and this heartwrenching story.

[maryf]

9. Thank you

the unrec is just so irritating, sorry for the emo! I hate the stupid thing, and it's my most unpleasant experience as well. That and no notice when a friend has been ts'd without warning.

Now back to something more important, how can we help these poor people?

[AsahinaKimi]

19. K&R mary

From the daughter of a legal immigrant.

[Catherina]

7. Rec'd with great sadness. n/t

[pinboy3niner]

8. K&R

[Luciferous]

13. Wow, whoever wrote that article needs to learn some editing skills.

[maryf]

17. so glad

to see people being concerned...:shrug:

[rocktivity]

15. Suppose she hadn't been caught and they'd married early next year as planned

Since she wasn't in the country legally, would the marriage have been legal?

:shrug:
rocktivity

[Luciferous]

24. I wonder that myself, since my brother is married to an illegal immigrant.

I know he talked to a lawyer about whether or not she could actually get legalized because they were married (she can't), but I don't think he actually asked about the validity of the marriage. However, I don't feel bad for my sister in-law because she had the opportunity to become legalized and threw it away. Now the rest of her family is all here legally, so if she ever is deported back to Mexico she will have no support system there.

[blondeatlast]

18. Heartbreaking. k/r

[blindpig]

22. The 'legal' argument....

People should remember who writes the laws and why. Laws are not made by or for the masses.k&r

[maryf]

23. People with money

write the laws to protect and increase their money, at least in this society, :hi: