Sorry

We all go through things either tough or not, but that’s how life is and we can’t control it but go through it and learn. We can’t underestimate these situations because that’s what makes us who we are and it changes our perspective in life. My parents have come so far in distance and in life.They came to the U.S. for a better future. First came my dad and then my mom and I was born a year after their arrival. We’ve gone through so many things and this was one of many situations I never expected to happen. Thursday October 31, 2019, has marked my life and I’ll never forget what happened that day. My dad and uncle got ready and were on their way to work with other co-workers. I remember going to school that day. My mom got an unexpected call from one of my dad’s coworkers saying that my dad and her brother (my uncle) were taken away by ICE. Those words left my mom speechless and anxious. After coming back home my mom told me what had happened and hearing that made me feel like they broke a big piece of me. The goodbye that they said the “te veo al rato” were the last words I heard from them that day. I never thought that would be the last day I would see my uncle in person. Later that day ICE took my dad and uncle somewhere in a building that’s in Fort Myers. Then, they got transported to Pompano Beach on a bus. They took their fingerprints and took note of almost every single detail of each of them. They arrived at Pompano Beach where they were put in a detention center. My dad shared a room with three other people and so did my uncle. My dad had limited calls so he would call my mom twice a day and each call would be one minute to three minutes long.  People from my church would go and visit him at the detention center and they would tell my mom how he was doing. My mom would let me know who was going to visit him and I would ask her permission to go with them but she was very worried that it would affect me mentally. She thought that by going it would disturb me to see the place where they had put my dad in. This broke my heart because I really wanted to go and see him at least one more time. I missed him very much. My mom and I would always pray every night hoping that God would do a miracle. There wasn’t a day that would go by without thinking about my dad and uncle. I felt sad and lonely everyday even though my mom was with us but it just wasn’t the same. I would go to school knowing that my dad was far away from me. I couldn’t really concentrate in school because I feared that he would get taken and that means I would have to leave the United States. I tried to keep all of my emotions together because I knew if I told someone else my situation they would most likely not do anything about it but just hear me. The environment was so different that I just wasn’t really myself anymore.  There were times that my mom and I would cry due to my dad’s absence. I always look up to him because he is my greatest inspiration. I missed him very much, but yet I had a feeling that he was coming back.

 During this time things got very serious because my mom didn’t work and as a young girl I wouldn’t think about household expenses. My dad’s kind boss helped us out and other kind-hearted people did too. We put our trust in God because we knew that with him all things are possible. Everyday I felt empty and unprotected but my mom would tell me that God is always with us through the good and bad and that he is our guardian. We would keep praying and put our faith in him because he was our only hope. It felt very different knowing that the biggest role of our family wasn’t with us. Everyday I would miss them more and more with the fear of not seeing them again. I would hear on the news that people were getting taken away but never knew that one day my dad was going to be one of them. 

They stayed in detention for 3 weeks but it felt like a really long time. ICE  told him that he was free to go and that we had to pay his bail while my uncle was told to sign papers not knowing that he was signing up for his own deportation. They just told him to sign a couple papers and didn’t tell him  what it was for (according to my mom).  He told us that on his way to get deported they took him on a bus where nothing can be seen outside from the inside of the bus. It was sad to know that my uncle wouldn’t be with us anymore even though he would be reuniting with my grandparents and his siblings. The day my dad came back I was extremely happy and relieved to see him again. I gave him a tight hug after so many days. He told us that when he got sent to Pompano beach he saw a mother on the bus crying because she had left behind two daughters. He also told us that when he was in detention he heard that many people were being deported and that made me sad because I know they had left behind a family somewhere here and not because it was their choice. It makes me sad to think that many kids are being left behind not knowing their parents are getting sent back to their country. My heart goes out to all the kids who went through something similar or is going through this. Not everyone who gets taken has the opportunity to stay here again and I’m grateful my dad is here. And if he were to be taken back to his country I would most likely not be here today even though I was born here. Thankfully, he’s in the process of getting his green card. All I can say is that God has been by our side. I know what it’s like to go through this type of pain and all I can say is to stay strong even if everything might look like it’s not working out but God has a plan for you and keep in mind that his plan is much better than anything else. It’s important to appreciate everything and everyone you have because nothing lasts forever. Appreciate the places, the people, everything.  Don’t underestimate people for their situation. Instead, give them a hand if you can. If anyone you know is going through something it’s best to console them and let them know that you’re there for them because those are the words that we mostly want to hear.You may see your close friends and family today, but no one knows if you’ll ever see them again tomorrow.