THEGREATESTGODDESSJILL
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- Sep 14, 2009
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FULLERTON – Yadira Barragan used to think that people who came to this country illegally should simply return home to sort out their situation there.
That all changed when the 32-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen, who came legally from Mexico, unknowingly married a man who is in the U.S. illegally.
Still, she was in love. She mothered their three young boys. They built a home.
That came crashing down when immigration officials Tuesday raided a Fullerton high-tech manufacturer, Terra Universal, and her husband became one of the 43 workers immigration officials detained on suspicion of being in the country illegally.
"It's not until you're in their shoes and see their point of view and reality that you understand," Barragan said.
Thursday, she and her husband, Carlos, were one of at least two dozen people from Terra Universal who attended a Fullerton church for a meeting held by immigration rights activists and representatives with the Mexican Consulate's Office in Santa Ana.
Activists and legal representatives advised them of their rights during a more than 3-hour-long meeting, days after immigration agents served a federal criminal search warrant at Terra Universal, bringing the company to a standstill for at least two hours.
The 8:30 a.m. immigration enforcement action began when agents entered the building, provoking shrieks from the front desk receptionists, Yadira said her husband told her.
"Immigration," one woman yelled.
That's when Barragan called his wife.
"You know what? Come get the car. Immigration is here," he told her.
The operation ended with ICE officials nabbing 43 people on suspicion of being in the country illegally, said ICE Spokeswoman Lori Haley. Those detained were released a few hours later, pending immigration hearings.
It was a day they'd been expecting for quite some time, Yadira Barragan said.
"It had always been our fear," she said. "Sooner or later it was going to happen. We just knew."
That's why her husband never left for work in the morning without saying a sincere goodbye to each one of his three young boys, she added.
Though she's petitioned for her husband to become a legal resident, it's been eight years and still no word from immigration officials, she said. Still, her husband had to provide for the family and just her income won't suffice for the family, she added. That's why, she said, he worked in the U.S. even though he wasn't authorized to do so.
Her husband who'd worked for Terra for about four years in shipping never told company officials about his legal status, she added.
Still, she holds hope that he'll be able to stay in the country.
"We're hoping something can be done," she said.
The company's attorney David Ross said company officials will begin the process Friday of evaluating every single one of the 43 employee's situations to determine whether they'll be willing to hold their jobs for a limited amount of time while they sort out their legal situation.
They'll take into account whether they can remedy their legal status and obtain a temporary work visa within the next few months while they sort out their situation. In addition, the employee's years of loyalty will be taken into consideration, he added.
"We're not going to employ anybody that the law says should not be employed," Ross said.
Still, Yadira Barragan said her husband and the others showed worked at Terra on Thursday and were hopeful they'd keep their positions.
Ross said that's not the case. Instead, he said there was a miscommunication and the workers were told to show up with their legal documents.
Barragan said she used to become angry when she'd hear about people in the country illegally
"Why don't they just return to their country to better their lives?" she'd ask herself. "Now I'm going through some of things these people have gone through."
Now her family may have to move to Mexico if her husband can't successfully sort out his legal status at a pending immigration hearing.
"I can't take them to Mexico," she explained. She glanced at her 3-year-old Charlie who stood silent, clinging on to a stuffed Mickey Mouse figurine.
She said her husband is the breadwinner and she and her boys are in the country legally.
"You can understand with the ones that cause trouble," she said of those who are deported. "You don't want them here. My husband is the head of our household... the breadwinner he should be able to stay. His family is here. I'm here legally."
Barragan said she still feels torn as a U.S citizen and believes the Mexican government needs to step up and help their own people.
However, she said she hopes something can be done for the group of people who were detained Tuesday.
"I strongly believe that this group of pe
That all changed when the 32-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen, who came legally from Mexico, unknowingly married a man who is in the U.S. illegally.
Still, she was in love. She mothered their three young boys. They built a home.
That came crashing down when immigration officials Tuesday raided a Fullerton high-tech manufacturer, Terra Universal, and her husband became one of the 43 workers immigration officials detained on suspicion of being in the country illegally.
"It's not until you're in their shoes and see their point of view and reality that you understand," Barragan said.
Thursday, she and her husband, Carlos, were one of at least two dozen people from Terra Universal who attended a Fullerton church for a meeting held by immigration rights activists and representatives with the Mexican Consulate's Office in Santa Ana.
Activists and legal representatives advised them of their rights during a more than 3-hour-long meeting, days after immigration agents served a federal criminal search warrant at Terra Universal, bringing the company to a standstill for at least two hours.
The 8:30 a.m. immigration enforcement action began when agents entered the building, provoking shrieks from the front desk receptionists, Yadira said her husband told her.
"Immigration," one woman yelled.
That's when Barragan called his wife.
"You know what? Come get the car. Immigration is here," he told her.
The operation ended with ICE officials nabbing 43 people on suspicion of being in the country illegally, said ICE Spokeswoman Lori Haley. Those detained were released a few hours later, pending immigration hearings.
It was a day they'd been expecting for quite some time, Yadira Barragan said.
"It had always been our fear," she said. "Sooner or later it was going to happen. We just knew."
That's why her husband never left for work in the morning without saying a sincere goodbye to each one of his three young boys, she added.
Though she's petitioned for her husband to become a legal resident, it's been eight years and still no word from immigration officials, she said. Still, her husband had to provide for the family and just her income won't suffice for the family, she added. That's why, she said, he worked in the U.S. even though he wasn't authorized to do so.
Her husband who'd worked for Terra for about four years in shipping never told company officials about his legal status, she added.
Still, she holds hope that he'll be able to stay in the country.
"We're hoping something can be done," she said.
The company's attorney David Ross said company officials will begin the process Friday of evaluating every single one of the 43 employee's situations to determine whether they'll be willing to hold their jobs for a limited amount of time while they sort out their legal situation.
They'll take into account whether they can remedy their legal status and obtain a temporary work visa within the next few months while they sort out their situation. In addition, the employee's years of loyalty will be taken into consideration, he added.
"We're not going to employ anybody that the law says should not be employed," Ross said.
Still, Yadira Barragan said her husband and the others showed worked at Terra on Thursday and were hopeful they'd keep their positions.
Ross said that's not the case. Instead, he said there was a miscommunication and the workers were told to show up with their legal documents.
Barragan said she used to become angry when she'd hear about people in the country illegally
"Why don't they just return to their country to better their lives?" she'd ask herself. "Now I'm going through some of things these people have gone through."
Now her family may have to move to Mexico if her husband can't successfully sort out his legal status at a pending immigration hearing.
"I can't take them to Mexico," she explained. She glanced at her 3-year-old Charlie who stood silent, clinging on to a stuffed Mickey Mouse figurine.
She said her husband is the breadwinner and she and her boys are in the country legally.
"You can understand with the ones that cause trouble," she said of those who are deported. "You don't want them here. My husband is the head of our household... the breadwinner he should be able to stay. His family is here. I'm here legally."
Barragan said she still feels torn as a U.S citizen and believes the Mexican government needs to step up and help their own people.
However, she said she hopes something can be done for the group of people who were detained Tuesday.
"I strongly believe that this group of pe