By Mariela Quintuna –

It was October 26, 2008 when the news came in that my brother-in-law, Hector, had to go back to Mexico to finish the process of becoming a legal permanent resident in the United States. My sister, Silvia and he had decided that same year that he needed to become legal for the sake of their family. My sister is a U.S. citizen but even so the family went through a difficult separation for my brother-in-law to become a legal permanent resident.

He had to return to Mexico because they had to forgive him for coming in illegally. He could have been banned from the United States for 10 years. Three days later he was scheduled to travel on a plane to Mexico and so was his daughter, Alexa. She had to go with him because my sister thought it would be best since she had to work while he was away.

We said goodbye at O’Hare International Airport. It was 15 minutes until boarding time and it was difficult for us, especially for my sister, to see her husband and daughter leave. Since I was an employee at the airport, I went to the gate and waited until they boarded. All I remember is my niece calling my name out and asking me to go with her. She was crying and struggling to get away. I had to be strong and comfort my sister. My sister knelt down and began to cry. She cried out for her daughter and husband and asked God to protect them. “¡Alexa! ¡Ay Dios mio! ¿Por qué te dejé ir? Diosito, por favor cuida a mi esposo.”

I began to cry more and more until I did my best to calm down and to comfort her. I helped her out and we went on home. In the backseat was my niece’s toy, a soccer ball of the Mexican league. There was so much pain in our hearts that they had to leave.

This is why we need a change our immigration laws. We need laws to keep our families together. Even when you have one spouse who is a legal permanent resident the separation can be grueling.

Those three months that Hector was in Mexico, Silvia and I spent everyday together. I slept downstairs and we stayed up late watching movies or going out. She thought that it would be hard to handle the bills, but when I was with her, we both saw that she was OK. It was almost a month and a half since Hector left, and we found out that he had to go to Juarez to face the Board of Immigration. So my sister and I pitched in to buy him a ticket from his town near Pachuca to travel to Juarez.

The day he arrived in Juarez, Alexa stayed with her aunt back in his hometown. He spent all day there and since there were a lot of people he didn’t get his turn. So he had to wait for the next day. It was tense. We were waiting to hear if they forgave him or not. They told him to come back the following week.

My sister said, “¡Ay, no puedo con este dolor! ¡Ya gastamos mucho!” I got mad because they made him go to Juarez and spend all that money and nothing happened. So again, my sister had to buy another plane ticket. It was like the end of November when he had to go back to Juarez again.

It was almost Christmas time and my sister wanted to be with Hector and Alexa. Supposedly that week of Christmas, the Board of Immigration at Juarez was going to make a decision on Hector. Silvia went to Mexico to be there when they would give Hector the answer. The day he went, again, they didn’t tell him anything. My sister was upset and couldn’t stay any longer because she only asked for a week off. She then decided to come back to Chicago with Alexa. It was the beginning of January and they both arrived to Chicago. My dad and I went to pick them up. I met them at the gate. Alexa saw me and ran towards me where we both cried.

It was the beginning of January and we hadn’t heard anything from Hector. One day my sister was at work and I was in downtown shopping at Macy’s with my mom, aunt, grandma, and Alexa. We were looking at clothes and I was playing hide-and-seek with Alexa. My phone rang and it was my sister. She was crying. I worried. “Oh my God, they didn’t forgive Hector,” I thought.

But no, she was happy and I was confused. She then told me that, “They forgave Hector! He’s coming home!” I began to cry. I told Alexa and she started to jump up and down.

My brother-in-law was able to come back to the United States. Maybe the letters that we all had to write might have touched the hearts of the Board of Immigration. The two points that were repeated throughout the letters was that my sister couldn’t handle life without him financially and emotionally, and Hector also helps my parents take care of my little brother Freddy, who has autism.

Going through that time of separation from her husband and daughter was horrible. “I felt sad because I was afraid that he was probably not coming back and plus he was with my daughter,” my sister told me.

She was afraid he wouldn’t be allowed back and she’d never see him again. “Pensé que nunca les iba ver otra vez, ellos son mi vida,” she said.

My brother-in-law is currently back in the United States and working at a restaurant downtown. They still struggle financially, but they are hopeful.

But what about all the other families who have been separated?

In the past election, President Obama asked for the Latino vote and said he would fix this whole immigration issue. We voted for you Obama, now when can we start living our lives without fear?

It’s time for a change.

Mariela Quintuna is a journalism student at Columbia College Chicago.