I transported Carolla, an onion farmer, and her 11- year-old son Ronaldo to their weekly Buffalo Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-in. She had walked across the border carrying her then nine-month old son. Earlier a farmer in Mexico, her family was unable to generate income to survive.
I recall University of Mexico Professor Ackerman, at a retreat in Cuernavaca, stating that until the mid-90s, Mexico had been a net agricultural exporter, but American policy changes lessened the cost for Mexicans to import than to produce farm products themselves. As a result, many unemployed Mexican farmers like Carolla came to the U.S. to work. Remittances to Mexico by workers like Carolla was the nation’s third largest source of income.
It took me five hours and 110 miles round trip to bring Carolla and Ronaldo for their weekly interview. I was stunned at the treatment of Carolla. Perhaps this is typical.
Once, Carolla was asked, a) “Has anything changed since last week?” (“Nothing has changed.”) and b) “Do you still have the same phone number?” (“Yes.”). That was followed by, “Good, Craig will come to your house visit tomorrow.” I was astonished! How could Craig not ask those two questions the next day?….This took me five hours and 110 miles.
On another check-in, Carolla was told that a few days later, July 24, she needed a document validated by the Mexican Consulate in Albany – a full day for a volunteer to transport her to Albany and back. On our trip to Buffalo the following week, the staffer exclaimed, “This is 32 days old. It needs to be less than 30 days!” He crumpled the paper, threw it in the trash and exclaimed, “We don’t need this anyway!” I was in shock.
Carolla was deported to Mexico City by airplane at night. I had been in that large and extremely busy airport. I worried that this tiny woman and her 11-year-old child arriving at midnight would have great difficulty in finding a way to get out into the rural country to locate her family. I do not know what has happened to Carolla and Ronaldo.
The Gospel instructs us, “Welcome the stranger.” Compassion, based upon the universal value, “Do unto others as we would have them do unto us,” must be the underlying consideration for immigrants like Carolla, those who are poor and need help.
William H. Privett
Compassionate Brockport
