Home and away.

[captainsblog]

All three of us made it to church today. A bittersweet occasion, with Gail being back from her brief sabbatical, yet in need of much more shabbat shalom after the loss of yet another friend in the crash the other day. She seemed okay, though. Not that appearances are everything.  Our prayers remain with her and with the rest of those who lost friends and loved ones.

Later in the day, I read these words from my friend May. She is a soon-to-be full-fledged citizen of this nation, but shares the grief and pain she feels for a member of her church who made a bad decision and has now been separated from wife and family, maybe permanently, on account of the jingoism that even continues in these days of Hope and Change:

Gustavo Aguilar, was detained by immigration agents on Tuesday despite the best efforts of his lawyer to keep him free. His situation is urgent - he could be deported at any time.

Jen [his wife] and Gustavo are fighting to keep him here by trying to get his pre-baptism drug conviction overturned. You can read details about this fight and and what they have done on their blog at:

http://americalovesgustavo.blogspot.com/

At the suggestion of his lawyer, we are trying to get local politicians to call the Queens DA and express interest in Gustavo’s case and in a favorable outcome. While some politicians have said that they would call, none have done so yet, probably because they don’t see it as urgent or as important to very many of their constituents.

We would like to change their minds - to convince them that Gustavo’s case is worth their time and effort. To do so, we need your help.

Could you please place a call to the following politicians in the next few days and ask them to help? Gustavo could be deported almost at any time, it is important that these calls be made as soon as possible. Instructions on what to say follow this list.

City Council: Miguel Martinez
–917-521-1293 . 601 W 174th Street Ste 1A

NY Assembly: Adriano Espaillat
–212-544-2278 . 210 Sherman Ave, Ste A

NY State Sen: Eric T. Schneiderman
–212-928-5578 . 80 Bennett Ave., Ground

US Congress: Charles B. Rangel
–212-663-3900 . 163 W 125th St., Ste 737

Manhattan Borough Pres: Scott Stringer
212-669-8300 . 1 Center St. 19th Floor

Instructions:
1. Review the website above so you understand the situation.

2. Call the offices of at least one (if not all) of the above and ask to speak with a constituent  services representative.

3. Tell them you would like the politician’s support in the case of Gustavo Aguilar. We want the politician to call the Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown or Assistant DA Susan Sullivan and ask them to agree to the motion to vacate Gustavo’s conviction.

4. Mention your relationship to Jen and Gustavo, tell how much he would be mised if deported and how Gustavo is now the kind of citizen we need in the US and New York.

5. If they need further information about the case, refer them to Gustavo’s criminal lawyer, Labe Richman - 212-227-1914.

Gustavo is a very nice, friendly, funny, and kind man. He’s a hard worker. He’s loving and generous, and he takes nothing for granted. There is no one who wouldn’t benefit from having Gustavo as a friend. If it’s the Lord’s will he be deported, I can accept that, and it would be very sad, but I want to be able to say I did everything I could to help him. Would you help him, too?

We can do this.

Read the blog.

Make the calls. Tuesday, since tomorrow’s a holiday.

Pray like crazy.

Spread the word.

My only P.S. to that is my sadness in hearing that this decent man is apparently dependent on Charlie "I Wouldn't Know Decent If It Mugged Me on the Subway" Rangel to assist him in his cause. If you can't bring yourself to contact him, contact your own, or any, Congressperson. Any of the 435 of them can introduce a private law to provide for citizenship.

A week or so ago, we watched, and loved, the story of The Visitor, for which Richard "Late Nate" Jenkins is quite likely to receive an Oscar for his touching portrayal of an Ordinary American offended by such immigration policy. Having it turn into non-fiction, barely a week later, makes that performance all the more real to us. Please. Whatever your views on the debate in general, pray to spare this one family from being bulldozed by it.

Comments

[headbanger118.livejournal.com]

Question: was Gustavo in the country legally when he was busted for the drug charge?

While I feel for Gustavo in a sense, I have to wonder about the fact of the case of the drug charge and why he'd put himself in that position in the first place. I'm seeing some poor decision-making here, and then scrambling for sympathy after the fact. Sure, he may have gotten some bad advice from his attorney, but no drugs would mean no bust.

[captainsblog.livejournal.com]

I do not know the answer to that question. However, I do know that I just got through a weekend when I heard local stories about duly born or naturalized citizens who, in the past 72 hours,

* murdered his wife by chopping her head off after she asked him for a divorce;

* killed two people in a hospital parking lot, drove close to 50 miles in search of two additional victims, then went door-to-door in a town two counties away looking for his intended targets who he then shot, execution-style;

* got arrested in California on a felony weapons charge after escaping charges a year ago for a hit-and-run driving incident, the latter swept under the rug primarily because the defendant was the star running back for the Buffalo Bills (who, as we all know, have historically been nothing but peaceful, law-abiding citizens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O.J._Simpson).

I'd rather have Gustavo in my country than any of these degenerates, ANY day of the week.

[headbanger118.livejournal.com]

I'm not disputing that we have crazy nut jobs here and that they should be punished, I'm just saying that if you are here illegaly...or on a visa of some sort, you might want to mind your p's and q's. I think we are mostly likely on opposite sides of the immigration debate. SHOCKING! :P You know I love ya, cap'n.

[mayiwrite.livejournal.com]

Ray, thanks for posting this.

The irony of it is that Gustavo is detained because he tried to rectify things, so his file is active and out there for the officials to see. Yes, he did make mistakes, but he's done so much more that's good and right. The blog says back in the summer his friends from church submitted 130-something letters to attest to his character. That gave him a little bit more time.

Someone has to give him credit for getting back on track. For serving his community. For working toward his GED. That should count for something. Why don't we deport citizens who take this country for granted? I mean sheesh, just because they're citizens, their disrespect gets a relative slap on the wrist.

If Gustavo gets deported, he can't ever come back. Ever-ever.

I rewatched The Visitor tonight, just to keep me riled up about the system. Richard Jenkins is brilliant. I hope he wins the Oscar. If he doesn't, the Academy is cuckoo and the system is deeply flawed. The system needs fixing, regardless.

It's frustrating.