New Mexico hero: an illegal???
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The man who chased down an alleged child abductor and saved a 6-year-old girl from what could have been a horrible fate will be honored as a hero Friday. But he is also gaining a new kind of celebrity: as a poster child of sorts for immigration rights in state and national immigration debates.
Antonio Diaz Chacon, 23, is a Mexican citizen married to an American and has been in the country for four years. But Chacon says he abandoned attempts to get legal residency because the process was difficult and expensive.Diaz Chacon, who works in Albuquerque as a mechanic, revealed his immigration status to the Spanish-language Univision TV network this week, prompting chatter on the Internet and social networking sites that his case underscored immigrant rights positions in two ongoing political debates.
"I came to work, to work hard," he told Univision. "The only problem is I entered the country illegally and now we can't afford a lawyer to file the immigration papers."
Some argue he is an example of the kind of immigrant the federal government will now largely leave alone. The Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday that deportations would focus on criminals.
"As exceptional as his story is," said Christina Parker, a spokeswoman for Border Network for Human Rights in El Paso, "It points to the fact that most undocumented immigrants living in the United States are not criminals. He's more than not a criminal now. He's a hero."
Others used it to blast New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez's ongoing attempts to repeal a state law that allows foreign nationals, including illegal immigrants, to obtain a driver's license. The governor has put the repeal — which was defeated in the regular session earlier this year — on the agenda for a September special session.
DO YOU GUYS THINK HE DESERVES TO GET THE CITIZENSHIP FOR SAVING THAT LITTLE GIRLS LIFE? please live your comment with your opinion.. thank you
BUENO NO CREO QUE TENGA QUE AGARRAR SU CITINZENSHIP POR HABER SALVADO UNA VIDA. ASI NO SERIA UN HEROE PORQUE LOS HEROES NO PIDEN NADA A CAMBIO, CREO QUE SI LE DAN LA CIUDADANIA A EL POR HABER HECHO ALGO BUENO TODO MUNDO EMPEZARA A HACER COSAS BUENAS PARA AGARRAR LO QUE DESEAN. ES UN ACTO SUPER HERMOSO LO QUE HIZO EL PERO ENVOLVER POLITICA CON LO QUE HIZO ESTA MAL... DIGO YO
ReplyDeletemuchas gracias por tu commentario. yo creo lo mismo que tu.. un heroe es una persona que hace algo por que lo ciente no por que quiera recompenza.. pero ya si el estado se siente muy agradecido con el y se la dan creo que es una muy buena recompenza. no crees?
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of deporting only criminals. We are a nation of immigrants and should embrace this. Now we are in a rough economy and looking everywhere to lay blame. This man is a hero. He should be welcomed with open arms regardless, he has come to America looking for a better life, and should be praised, not scrutinized or made into a "poster child of sorts."
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