By Sophia Cooper
Araceli Guzman, 37, waits near the check-in counter at the San Francisco International Airport. She is holding a sippy cup for her two-year-old daughter and her eyes are still red from saying goodbye to her two older children earlier that morning. She waits for the immigration officer who will escort her to her gate before giving her her Mexican Passport and removing the tracking device on her ankle.
After living in the United States for over 15 years, married to a legal resident and the mother of three children all born in the United States, Araceli Guzman is being removed from her family on this day and deported to Mexico.
Araceli is my neighbor and her husband, Alejandro, works with my sister in a restaurant. My sister and I decided to accompany them to the airport on this morning. The waiting is tenuous, made heavy by a kind of thick, unspeakable sadness. Yet, even so, our conversation is animated by a tinge of awe and excitement as we exchange words of the surprising events that took place the night before.
The night before the deportation, a fundraising benefit was held at the Lanesplitter in Oakland where Alejandro works. The intention of the night was to raise funds for the legal fees necessary for Araceli to return to the US. Usual deportees must wait 10 years before requesting re-entry. However, Araceli’s case is exceptional, being that she is the mother of three children (all citizens of the US) who require her care. There is a good likelihood that she will be able to return within the next year if she hires the right lawyers to present her case. Yet these lawyers are not cheap: around $10,000.
The fundraising event began at 6pm and people started pouring in to eat free pizza, greet the family and buy raffle tickets. Raffle prizes were donated from local North Oakland businesses while the Lanesplitter provided the venue, free pizza and discounted prices on beverages and beer. By 7pm, the turnout was so successful it was hard to move around!
The crowd was composed of Araceli and Alejandro’s wide network of friends, family and co-workers, as well as those who simply heard about the situation and decided to show their support. Families with young children mingled with the hip young crowd of Lanesplitter staff and regulars. Between ticket sales, raffle tickets and other donations, the event raised over $4,000 for Araceli and her family.
Waiting now at the airport, we recall the incredible shows of generosity from so many people that made the night before such a success. The immigration officer finally shows up and Araceli checks in to her flight. He then takes her aside and removes the bulky tracking device from her ankle. As she stands in the security line, her two-year-old daughter lifts up her jeans and exclaims with glee in her eyes, “Mommy, its gone!” Araceli looks back at her with wet tears and a wide smile.
We say good-bye as they stand in line, telling her we will see her soon. For her children waiting for her at home, we hope it’s true.