What the Response to This Father Being Deported Reveals About the U.S.

When I woke up this morning and checked my social media feeds, I was floored by the flood of emotions I saw from friends and acquaintances posting a Washington Post story titled “A Michigan father, too old for DACA, is deported after three decades in the U

Photo: Unsplash/@metinozer

Photo: Unsplash/@metinozer

When I woke up this morning and checked my social media feeds, I was floored by the flood of emotions I saw from friends and acquaintances posting a Washington Post story titled “A Michigan father, too old for DACA, is deported after three decades in the U.S.

The story itself is a heartbreaking account of 39-year-old Jorge Garcia, an undocumented immigrant who was just deported back to Mexico after three decades in the United States, working as a landscaper in Michigan and raising two kids (a 15-year-old daughter and 12-year-old-son) with his wife. Due to President Trump’s crackdown on immigration, Garcia’s family has been unable to find a way for him to gain legal status and, instead, had a teary-eyed goodbye at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, according to the Washington Post.

“It’s just a nightmare,” Cindy Garcia, his wife, told the Detroit News after her husband walked through the airport scanners. “You can’t even put it into words how it feels.”

It’s a truly sad tale of how families all across the U.S. are being torn apart due to the immigration crackdown. Although we are still waiting to hear what happens with DACA ever since Trump suspended the program in September, the slightly good news right now is that the response to the Washington Post story has given me new hope about the way others view immigrants in the United States of America.

Overwhelmingly, those sharing this story are angry at President Trump and offering their best in support of immigrants. Here are just a few of their responses on Twitter:

Law-abiding citizens like Jorge Garcia should get to stay, period.

https://twitter.com/ktpunkpixie/status/953370683270189061

Some have started (and are signing) a Move On petition.

Never forget the heartbreak… and then do something about it.

Calling out the President is fair game.

Here’s hoping Dreamers and other undocumented immigrants get their chance.

We’re heartbroken by this, too.

Yes, we’re outraged.

Some are reaching out to others who can do more.

https://twitter.com/dafazzi/status/953368500608913414

Nobody wants to see families torn apart.

https://twitter.com/bphotography66/status/953368122240663552

We hope the best for him and his family…

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