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'Hey Obama, Don't Deport My Momma!': A Photo Essay

by Heather Wilson 07-29-2010 | 2:00pm
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100729-immig-4-resizedA children's rendition of Springsteen's 'Born in the USA' filled the air of Lafayette Square in Washington D.C. on Wednesday afternoon as U.S. citizens of undocumented parents gathered to urge President Obama to "keep his promise" regarding immigration reform. Congressman Luis Gutierrez joined faith leaders, families, and advocacy organizations from across America to give the children a chance to tell how their lives are affected by the failed immigration system.

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Emma, 10, told how it felt to watch 15 men with guns enter her home and take her mother. Britsy's mother had gone through the correct process to become legal, but errors had been made in her paperwork and now she was being deported. With tears in her eyes, Britsy, 9, spoke of her fear of the foster care system and the struggle of her 19-year-old brother to now provide for the family.

The need for immigration reform is not merely a political issue but one that touches the lives of many. Below are just a few of the faces adversely affected by this broken system.

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Heather Wilson is Marketing/Circulation Assistant at Sojourners and a freelance photographer. She has spent the past 10 years working throughout the U.S., Asia, and the Middle East, doing photography and communications work for developmental non-government organizations.

+ CCIR: Sign up for "On the Move" on August 12, a webinar with Rev. David Vasquez on immigration stories and ministry.

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by: Jen Boettger Boring

07-30-2010 @ 12:34am

Thank you for this article. It's easy to forget that behind issues like this are real people with real lives and stories but it's necessary for us to remember. Thank you.

by: Jen Boettger Boring

07-30-2010 @ 12:34am

Thank you for this article. It's easy to forget that behind issues like this are real people with real lives and stories but it's necessary for us to remember. Thank you.

by: nuclearferret

07-29-2010 @ 10:14pm

Talk about wildly inaccurate portrayals.

by: Jen Boettger Boring

07-30-2010 @ 12:34am

Thank you for this article. It's easy to forget that behind issues like this are real people with real lives and stories but it's necessary for us to remember. Thank you.

by: tuza

08-10-2010 @ 3:13am

Even the "Founding Fathers" were illegal immigrants.
American citizens can go to Mexico without a visa (until recently even without a passport); my sister, a Mexican lawyer that does not need to come here to work, was denied a visa to come visit me, even though she demonstrated that she had money and properties in Mexico and no intention to stay here.
The visa process: first you call the US Embassy, your call will cost you about $120 Dls to make an appointment to apply for a visa, if they don't have a spot available soon, you'll have to call again and pay again. If you are approved for a visa you still have to pay again according to the number of years you are approved for.
I have not been able to see most of my family in years and I am luckier than most, because about 4 people in my family have managed to get a visa and had come, but they don't want to visit this country anymore, they don't feel welcomed.

If all hard working tax and Social Security paying immigrants, that they'll never get any such benefits were to leave this country, there is no telling what would happen to those programs.

by: WaveTossed

07-29-2010 @ 6:49pm

Thanks, Ms. Wilson, for this article. I have problems believing how virulent the anti-immigrant feeling is. There are calls to repeal the 14th Amendment, or at least that part that states that anyone born on U.S. soil is automatically a U.S. citizen. There are wildly-inaccurate protrayals about how "illegal" immigrants come to the U.S. because they all want welfare or Medicaid or public schooling -- they don't want to work. Or else they are all violent members of drug cartels who come to the U.S. to shoot each other and innocent U.S. citizens.

The reality is that people who want to come to the U.S. legally have to wait months, years, and sometimes even decades to get the "legal" papers. This is because of the bureaucratic backlog that politicians have absolutely no political will to correct. In reality, much of the anti-"illegal"-immigrant movement is an anti-immigrant movement. I have yet seen or heard calls from the anti-"illegal"-immigrant people call for streamlining our system to rid it of these onerous backlogs. All most of them talk about is "build fences and walls, put barb-wire up, require everyone to carry legal papers," etc.

The truth is, even if most don't wish to believe it, is that the vast majority of immigrants, whether "legal" or not, have come here to work and earn money to support themselves and their families -- not to get free welfare or to carry out drug gang wars.

The irony is that many, if not most, of the "less government" people actually want more government, a LOT of government, to impose fences, barb-wire, requirements to carry "papers," etc. to hold up the protectionist Nanny State. The classical libertarian stance, as expressed by the Cato Institute and other libertarian sites, is to get the protectionist Nanny State out of regulating the free trade of laborers and the employers who wish to legally hire them.

by: tuza

08-10-2010 @ 3:13am

Even the "Founding Fathers" were illegal immigrants.
American citizens can go to Mexico without a visa (until recently even without a passport); my sister, a Mexican lawyer that does not need to come here to work, was denied a visa to come visit me, even though she demonstrated that she had money and properties in Mexico and no intention to stay here.
The visa process: first you call the US Embassy, your call will cost you about $120 Dls to make an appointment to apply for a visa, if they don't have a spot available soon, you'll have to call again and pay again. If you are approved for a visa you still have to pay again according to the number of years you are approved for.
I have not been able to see most of my family in years and I am luckier than most, because about 4 people in my family have managed to get a visa and had come, but they don't want to visit this country anymore, they don't feel welcomed.

If all hard working tax and Social Security paying immigrants, that they'll never get any such benefits were to leave this country, there is no telling what would happen to those programs.

by: nuclearferret

07-29-2010 @ 10:14pm

Talk about wildly inaccurate portrayals.

by: WaveTossed

07-29-2010 @ 6:49pm

Thanks, Ms. Wilson, for this article. I have problems believing how virulent the anti-immigrant feeling is. There are calls to repeal the 14th Amendment, or at least that part that states that anyone born on U.S. soil is automatically a U.S. citizen. There are wildly-inaccurate protrayals about how "illegal" immigrants come to the U.S. because they all want welfare or Medicaid or public schooling -- they don't want to work. Or else they are all violent members of drug cartels who come to the U.S. to shoot each other and innocent U.S. citizens.

The reality is that people who want to come to the U.S. legally have to wait months, years, and sometimes even decades to get the "legal" papers. This is because of the bureaucratic backlog that politicians have absolutely no political will to correct. In reality, much of the anti-"illegal"-immigrant movement is an anti-immigrant movement. I have yet seen or heard calls from the anti-"illegal"-immigrant people call for streamlining our system to rid it of these onerous backlogs. All most of them talk about is "build fences and walls, put barb-wire up, require everyone to carry legal papers," etc.

The truth is, even if most don't wish to believe it, is that the vast majority of immigrants, whether "legal" or not, have come here to work and earn money to support themselves and their families -- not to get free welfare or to carry out drug gang wars.

The irony is that many, if not most, of the "less government" people actually want more government, a LOT of government, to impose fences, barb-wire, requirements to carry "papers," etc. to hold up the protectionist Nanny State. The classical libertarian stance, as expressed by the Cato Institute and other libertarian sites, is to get the protectionist Nanny State out of regulating the free trade of laborers and the employers who wish to legally hire them.

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by: WaveTossed

07-29-2010 @ 6:49pm

Thanks, Ms. Wilson, for this article. I have problems believing how virulent the anti-immigrant feeling is. There are calls to repeal the 14th Amendment, or at least that part that states that anyone born on U.S. soil is automatically a U.S. citizen. There are wildly-inaccurate protrayals about how "illegal" immigrants come to the U.S. because they all want welfare or Medicaid or public schooling -- they don't want to work. Or else they are all violent members of drug cartels who come to the U.S. to shoot each other and innocent U.S. citizens.

The reality is that people who want to come to the U.S. legally have to wait months, years, and sometimes even decades to get the "legal" papers. This is because of the bureaucratic backlog that politicians have absolutely no political will to correct. In reality, much of the anti-"illegal"-immigrant movement is an anti-immigrant movement. I have yet seen or heard calls from the anti-"illegal"-immigrant people call for streamlining our system to rid it of these onerous backlogs. All most of them talk about is "build fences and walls, put barb-wire up, require everyone to carry legal papers," etc.

The truth is, even if most don't wish to believe it, is that the vast majority of immigrants, whether "legal" or not, have come here to work and earn money to support themselves and their families -- not to get free welfare or to carry out drug gang wars.

The irony is that many, if not most, of the "less government" people actually want more government, a LOT of government, to impose fences, barb-wire, requirements to carry "papers," etc. to hold up the protectionist Nanny State. The classical libertarian stance, as expressed by the Cato Institute and other libertarian sites, is to get the protectionist Nanny State out of regulating the free trade of laborers and the employers who wish to legally hire them.

by: WaveTossed

07-29-2010 @ 6:49pm

Thanks, Ms. Wilson, for this article. I have problems believing how virulent the anti-immigrant feeling is. There are calls to repeal the 14th Amendment, or at least that part that states that anyone born on U.S. soil is automatically a U.S. citizen. There are wildly-inaccurate protrayals about how "illegal" immigrants come to the U.S. because they all want welfare or Medicaid or public schooling -- they don't want to work. Or else they are all violent members of drug cartels who come to the U.S. to shoot each other and innocent U.S. citizens.

The reality is that people who want to come to the U.S. legally have to wait months, years, and sometimes even decades to get the "legal" papers. This is because of the bureaucratic backlog that politicians have absolutely no political will to correct. In reality, much of the anti-"illegal"-immigrant movement is an anti-immigrant movement. I have yet seen or heard calls from the anti-"illegal"-immigrant people call for streamlining our system to rid it of these onerous backlogs. All most of them talk about is "build fences and walls, put barb-wire up, require everyone to carry legal papers," etc.

The truth is, even if most don't wish to believe it, is that the vast majority of immigrants, whether "legal" or not, have come here to work and earn money to support themselves and their families -- not to get free welfare or to carry out drug gang wars.

The irony is that many, if not most, of the "less government" people actually want more government, a LOT of government, to impose fences, barb-wire, requirements to carry "papers," etc. to hold up the protectionist Nanny State. The classical libertarian stance, as expressed by the Cato Institute and other libertarian sites, is to get the protectionist Nanny State out of regulating the free trade of laborers and the employers who wish to legally hire them.

by: nuclearferret

07-29-2010 @ 10:14pm

Talk about wildly inaccurate portrayals.

by: nuclearferret

07-29-2010 @ 10:14pm

Talk about wildly inaccurate portrayals.

by: Jen Boettger Boring

07-30-2010 @ 12:34am

Thank you for this article. It's easy to forget that behind issues like this are real people with real lives and stories but it's necessary for us to remember. Thank you.

by: Jen Boettger Boring

07-30-2010 @ 12:34am

Thank you for this article. It's easy to forget that behind issues like this are real people with real lives and stories but it's necessary for us to remember. Thank you.

by: Jen Boettger Boring

07-30-2010 @ 12:34am

Thank you for this article. It's easy to forget that behind issues like this are real people with real lives and stories but it's necessary for us to remember. Thank you.

by: tuza

08-10-2010 @ 3:13am

Even the "Founding Fathers" were illegal immigrants.
American citizens can go to Mexico without a visa (until recently even without a passport); my sister, a Mexican lawyer that does not need to come here to work, was denied a visa to come visit me, even though she demonstrated that she had money and properties in Mexico and no intention to stay here.
The visa process: first you call the US Embassy, your call will cost you about $120 Dls to make an appointment to apply for a visa, if they don't have a spot available soon, you'll have to call again and pay again. If you are approved for a visa you still have to pay again according to the number of years you are approved for.
I have not been able to see most of my family in years and I am luckier than most, because about 4 people in my family have managed to get a visa and had come, but they don't want to visit this country anymore, they don't feel welcomed.

If all hard working tax and Social Security paying immigrants, that they'll never get any such benefits were to leave this country, there is no telling what would happen to those programs.

by: tuza

08-10-2010 @ 3:13am

Even the "Founding Fathers" were illegal immigrants.
American citizens can go to Mexico without a visa (until recently even without a passport); my sister, a Mexican lawyer that does not need to come here to work, was denied a visa to come visit me, even though she demonstrated that she had money and properties in Mexico and no intention to stay here.
The visa process: first you call the US Embassy, your call will cost you about $120 Dls to make an appointment to apply for a visa, if they don't have a spot available soon, you'll have to call again and pay again. If you are approved for a visa you still have to pay again according to the number of years you are approved for.
I have not been able to see most of my family in years and I am luckier than most, because about 4 people in my family have managed to get a visa and had come, but they don't want to visit this country anymore, they don't feel welcomed.

If all hard working tax and Social Security paying immigrants, that they'll never get any such benefits were to leave this country, there is no telling what would happen to those programs.