Despite widespread efforts to prevent it from happening, husband and father of four Jesus Lara Lopez was deported this morning.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was alerted to Lara Lopez’s whereabouts in 2008, but he was not forced to leave immediately after. During Obama’s presidency, ICE focused mainly on deporting people who had committed serious crimes, but the Trump administration has forced stricter regulations on all illegal immigrants in general.
“These are the darkest times in our nation,” said David Leopold, Lara Lopez’s attorney, at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport this morning. “I contacted the governor and Mike DeWine, but it did no good. This good man is being deported and I have to ask how this makes our country any safer.”
Lara Lopez’s wife, four children and a crowd of protesters (in support of their family) were present at the airport this morning. Some brought homemade signs, reading “Protect Immigrants in Ohio” and “Stop the Deportation of Lara Lopez.”
Lara Lopez’s family, community, attorney and America’s Voice, an organization working to change and protect immigrants’ rights, all fought against his being sent back to Mexico. But appeals to ICE, letters of support and a petition with around 35,000 signatures were ineffective.
America’s Voice, notes on their website that Lara Lopez paid his taxes, never committed a crime and served as a valuable member of the Willard community. The organization compiled a number of letters supporting Lara Lopez; one, penned by neighbor Jennifer Fidler, attests that “It is apparent how much he loves his family, how hard he works, and how friendly and caring he is.”
Mandy Polachek, assistant principal at Willard Elementary School, also spoke highly of the Lara Lopez family:
“These wonderful children obviously come from a very supportive home where Mom and Dad play an active role in raising and caring for the children. I personally believe it would be detrimental to these young children to lose their father to deportation. The Lara family is valuable to not only the Willard City Schools but also the City of Willard.”
“My dad is a great dad,” Lara’s 14-year-old son, Eric, wrote on a GoFundMe page to help with the family’s living expenses. “He adopted me, and he was always there for me, helping with my homework and making sure me and my brothers and sister had what we needed.”
“We pleaded with the government and asked them to leave my dad alone, but they took him anyway,” he added.
“I can’t believe the people who run the government have no compassion at all,” said Lynn Tramonte, director of America’s Voice, at the airport. “His children, who are Americans, will have to go through life without a father.”
This article appears in Jul 12-18, 2017.
Trump is doing to the nation what he did to the USFL….Small Potatoes, indeed.
I never knew that a petition could save someone if they break a law. Interesting strategy.
“His children, who are Americans, will have to go through life without a father.” Why? They can move to Mexico with him. If America is so evil for enforcing its laws, they can cross illegally into Mexico to see their father and see how well that works out for them. Or they can all illegally go into Canada. Or Nicaragua. Or Panama. Or Costa Rica. Or Chile. Or Brazil. Or Argentina. Or Colombia. Or Peru…etc.
Owned
So stay with me for a second. 117 people each day are killed in automobile accidents. Many if not most of these involve vehicles moving at excessive speeds. This isn’t even counting damage and injuries that must occur daily due to people driving above the speed limit. It is against the law to speed in every state. It is safe to say this is a crime that effects all of us. It certainly harms far more people than illegal immigration does on a daily basis.
We have the means to enforce these laws, cars engines can be capped at certain speeds for example or further widespread police enforcement could be enacted. Strangely nobody cries out against speeding, something that is far more likely to effect them and the ones they love. Why is that? Why isn’t everyone shouting about enforcing those laws? Those laws would make their neighborhoods much safer.
It couldn’t be that people only want to see laws enforced that they themselves don’t break… no that couldn’t be it. It certainly wouldn’t be because immigration laws target a small subset of people (who generally happen to have darker skin), no that can’t be it. I’m sure all these people are purely motivated about upholding laws and aren’t just driven by fear and hate.
For real horror stories of illegal immigration you’d have to go and talk to the Native Americans….
I am so warmed and feel safer now that our laws are being enforced. I would add that this man and his family should be required to pay back any “benefits” that tax payers footed the bill for while he escaped detection. Minus any taxes he paid of course.
What is appalling and should surprise every Citizen is that so many criminals have been allowed to stay in our country in direct opposition to our laws and borders. Hallelujah Donald Trump and all our enforcement agencies. Finally we have a country again.
Gene M.
Matthew 25:35-40
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.
See ya. Maybe his wife and kids can join him in Mexico if the laws here are so bad. 🙂