Julia

I first met Julia in July of 2001 ; she was 16 and had just come from Mexico.  I asked her why she had come here from Mexico.  She said through a translator that she wanted to attend high school.  Administrators from the local high school told her that the ESL program was not developed enough to provide services to someone who didn’t speak any English.  She needed to learn English first.  She has been enrolled in community English classes much of the time since then.  She has also been employed in the community.  She has often done heavy work such as cleaning houses.  Her main problem here has been with driving.  She often has had tasks that have required her to drive but she has never had the opportunity to take a drivers education class.  She lives in a state that prohibits non-citizens from taking drivers exams or obtaining legal licenses.  I know of no other legal problems that she has had in the community.

She has taught herself to use a computer and is my friend on Facebook.  Her oldest son , Ethan, is an introvert who very much feels the experiences that his mother has had with ICE.  Her youngest son, Christopher, is an extrovert who needs gentle but firm boundaries from his mother.  Both boys are citizens who will contribute to this country.  Julia spent 10 days in an immigration detention center but is home now and awaits an immigration hearing.