Cairos Birthday

Cairo turned 6 years old last week.  I was a little concerned about how he was going to be feeling not having his dad with him on that day.  My mom and sister-in-law took him out for lunch and we did something small that day at my moms house.  As it turns out as they were out having lunch Cairo did get sad, lowering his head and saying "My papi isn't here".  All my sister-in-law could do was hold him, they went home soon after that.  It broke my heart when she told me.  We can't see the emotion wounds he is carrying but they are definitely there.

Since Jose has been detained I've gotten closer to his family.  For what ever reason Jose did not keep in contact much with his siblings that live in the area but as a result of all this I've gotten closer to them.  I call his sister who recently moved out of state but I've been hanging out with his brother and his family who lives just 20 minutes away.  They offered to have a cook out for Cairos birthday, I couldn't say no.  I wasn't planning on doing something big for his birthday.  My plan was to have a party if Jose was going to be home but if he wasn't then I was going to take Cairo and a couple of his best buds out for a movie, food and ice cream.  Something small with family seemed like a good idea.


This past Saturday my brother, sister-in-law, mom, Cairo and I headed over to my brother-in-laws house.  I decided to make Cairos cake.  It was my first time making a cake for Cairo.  I had already done one for my mom, dad and sister-in-law, but I was really scared of making one for Cairo because...well...it's for Cairo and it had to be perfect!  Any way I made the cake.  It was the first time my family was going to meet my brother-in-law.  It was very nostalgic for every one.  My brother-in-law looks just like Jose, Jose is younger by about 5 years but they look very much alike. They talk the same, their mannerisms, expressions, everything, even the way they laugh and joke are the same.  Over and over you'd hear my mom say "OMG you're just like Jose" or "Jose is the same way".,  It got to the point that I had to apologize for my family comparing them over and over again.  My brother-in-law and his family understood.

It's very bitter sweet seeing Cairo with his Tio.  The first time we had gone to their home I wanted to cry.  It was like looking at an older Jose.  The first thing Cairo said was "you look like my dad.  Why do you look like my dad?".  My brother-in-law burst out laughing and told him because they were brothers.  Similarly when Cairo saw his dad after 3 months he told him "Dad!  I saw your brother and his face is like your face!!  Jose just laughed. Cairo was very excited. They are both very excited with each other. Cairo has another great uncle and my brother-in-law has a little boy to do boy stuff with. He has a daughter and even though she's the apple of his eye he's taking the time to get to know Cairo and do "guy" stuff.  Stuff Cairo would normally be doing with his dad.

Seeing them interact makes me feel like Cairo will have another male role model in his immediate life if Jose will not be allowed to stay us.  Thinking that way makes me feel like I am giving up or betraying Jose in some way.  Cairo needs his dad and no matter how well of a relationship he has with either of his uncles, it will not be the same.  Cairo needs Jose.

Jose didn't call on Cairos birthday. I knew he wouldn't have missed it if could help it.  I'm sure they didn't let him call.  You lose precious calling home privs when you're in the hole.  The last time he had called was Monday night.  When we got home on Saturday night we had a missed call from him.  It was a weird feeling because I felt relieved because the call meant he was still alive but sad because I didn't know when he'd be allowed to call home again.  My worst fear is that something bad happens to him while detained...I know the odds of him being killed there is probably slim but that's what I worry about when I don't hear from him. I worry that something has happened to him, he's sick or God forbid in a fight of some sort.  Luckily he called again on Sunday afternoon.  Cairo answered the phone while I was cutting down the jungle that grew in our yard. He came out yelling "Mom! Mom! My dad called and he said happy birthday to me!!!", then he passed the phone to me and I got to talk to my Gordo for a good 10 minutes, he was ok but still in the hole.  When we hung up I just cried and cried.

In less than two weeks we'll know if Jose will be allowed bond or not.  I'm praying for a miracle. 

Tweeting the devil and the Wasilewski family

I was able to attend todays immigration vigil downtown.  Every Friday a group of people gather at the downtown court house and pray for the families affected by current immigration laws.  Immigrants are deported from the building some during the day on Fridays.  Mr. Little B has a solid attendance rate, I've only been able to go a couple times because of morning issues, like actually getting up early enough to make it there on time and getting Cairo out of bed.

I made it a point to go today because I knew the Wasilewski family was going to be there. I got my butt up and got to the blue line in time to get there. The Wasilewski family was there, it brought me to tears to see them. When everything was done I walked over to Janina and welcomed her back.  She gave me a big hug and I told her that I am very happy they were together again and she had a beautiful family.  She asked me what my story was and I explained, of course I started to tear up and she gave me a big hug.  She gave me hope with her words.  I will keep her in my thoughts and I am very grateful I got to meet them.  Brian is very cute, he reminded me of Cairo, I wanted to squeeze him but I restrained myself because well you know he's 10 and I didn't want to freak him out.

I talked to Mr. Little B before he left.  Jose did not call yesterday, I don't think he was allowed and I really don't think he would have missed calling Cairo on his birthday.  So I'm sure Jose was not allowed to call home, he's still in the hole.  He said to document everything, it's our only way of fighting back in the end.  During the vigil Mr. Little B suggested as every one does, to contact our local reps and senators about CIR, "Silence is acceptance".  Email, send letters and/or tweet every day, he said.  So I am taking it upon myself to tweet as many times as I remember....like just now....to tweet:  

We need #CIR,  stop #deportations! @RepMikeQuigley @SenatorDurbin @SenatorReid @SenatorSanders @Kirk4senate @LamarSmithTX21 #immigration

As you can see I've included Mr. Lamar Smith.  I invite you to do the same.  BTW you will have to change your tweet slightly if you want to keep retweeting it.  I just discovered that as I just.....retweeted it.

Worst Article EVER!!!

In response to this article posted by the Phoenix News Times, titled "Certain Illegal Immigrants Collard by Arpaio Score Papers to Work Legally as a Result of Their Arrests".  The title itself says a lot about where the author is coming from.

"Illegal Immigrants Collard", that in itself is an insult.  Immigrants should be collard like dogs when arrested.  It's dehumanizing and disgusting.  The author obviously has no respect for immigrants in general.  He refers to Americans as "Nativists".... AS IF!!!  I'm sorry but the majority of Americans living in this country are not Natives to this land and to imply it is a huge offense to Native Americans.

He's approach is insulting.  Saying that some of the immigrants were able "score" papers as a result of the arrest implies that they stole it.  I'm sure he's one of the idiots bitching out "Why can't they come here legally?" and when someone actually finds a way to legally get papers they are accused of "scoring" them much like someone were to score a dime bag or stolen laptop.

Maybe I read it wrong and maybe I'm over reacting, but this article did not sit well with me.

Jose's in the hole

Apparently there was some kind of minor incident last Wednesday (August 3, 2011) that resulted in a bunch of guys including Jose to be put in the hole.  The hole for some who don't know is solitary confinement.  They are not allowed to shower, are not given razors to shave, can not buy food from the commissary, can not write home (and I'm guessing can not receive mail) and are limited to when they can call home.

It's been a week and he's still in the hole.  He and the others there complained to the warden.  They were not involved in any fights (unlike others) and try to keep to themselves yet they are being held in solitary confinement.  The wardens response was that he did not have to listen or speak to them and that he simply did not want them there at the detention center and will keep them in the hole until space is available at another location!!!  He has submitted a request to have them moved to another county.  If he is moved I only pray that it's closer than where he is now.

I simply can not understand why people with CIVIL offenses are being treated like murderers and rapists.  It's inhumane and unjust.  Even if they were real criminals to deprive them of being able to shower and communicate with their loved ones is not right.  My stomach hurt just hearing him tell me what had happened.  I wish I can just go over there and get him.  I think the warden is abusing his authority and it's killing me that I can't do anything about it.  Mr. Little B. said to document everything and hopefully something can be done when Jose is released. They are being treated worse than animals and it's disgusting.

The more this kind of stuff happens the more I feel like throwing in the towel and just getting away from this awful place that does nothing but imprison as many people it can for the sake of giving the select few the illusion they are safe while making billions of dollars in the process.  I am down right angry that this is happening and that no one seems to care that it's happening.

GOD BLESS AMERICA 

The land of the free, as long as you keep your mouth shut and stay at the bottom.

Tri County Detention Center

Driving out of the neighborhood

**Edit** Two weeks ago Thursday (Not last Thursday) I spoke to Mr. Little B.  We talked about Jose's skin infection that continues to go on untreated.  He said if I could see it with my own eyes we might be able to get Jose out for medical treatment.  It's a 6 hr drive, one way.  It was Thursday evening, Jose was going to have court that Monday so you know what I did?  I got my butt on the road the next morning and headed to Tri County Detention Center in Ullin, IL.  My brother, Chris, was awesome enough to take the trip with me....more like drive me down there.  He's a truck driver, a pretty damn good one at that, and he was used to driving for a ton of hours at time.  There's no one else I would have wanted on this trip with me.

I was a little weirded out that I would be taking a 12+ hr round road trip with my brother.  Never in my life did I think we would be doing something like that and considering how *well* we get along I was more concerned about being left on the side of the road in the middle of no where.  Obviously that didn't happen :D

The drive out of the city was pretty decent, we left his house about 10AM.  Filled the tank and headed to the highway.  As we're driving out I started having all kinds of thoughts.  This was our first conversation:

Driving out of the city

Me: Dude, I feel bad for mom.

Chris: What? why?

Me: Well you  know, we're her only kids.

Chris: Yeah, so?

Me: Well...what if something happens to us?

*Silence*

Chris: Why you gotta be so negative?

Corn feilds!!

As we're driving we spotted a Sheriffs van, and all kinds of theories started pouring out of us as to where they were going.  At first we though they were hauling more people down to Tri County....yeah I know we just started our trip and we were already on the immigration defense bandwagon.  Along the way the scenery was pretty peaceful.  Lot's of corn fields and farms.  I do have to say I did see a sign along the highway that said....and I quote...."Prepare for War".  Sadly I couldn't take a picture of it. We were on a mission, a 6 hr drive, one way, mission.  Plus I didn't see it until it was super close and we zoomed by it pretty quick.  If you're following me on twitter, you saw my comment about that.

Chris afer the Bohemian Rhapsody Rock out Session

I'm amazed almost every single exit had a McDonalds...that's where we stopped for lunch.  Did't take a picture if it cuz, well, you know they're EVERY WHERE.  I have to say I give my brother lots of props for being focused on this driving.  We didn't need to get gas until we were about 3/4 into our trip.  So close yet so far away I kept thinking.  We didn't really need a GPS, the drive is essentially a straight shot off if 57 but we used it along the way for sanity and to see what gas stations and restaurants were up ahead.  Apparently Big Red drinks Shell only and we were damn near close to being stranded in the middle of no where with no survival gear.  Now that I think about it my friend over at the Esteveban Files needs to do a post about that.  Yeah I'm plugging my friends blog, I listen to what he says and I'm still alive...nuff said.  We got to a gasoline station and the whole way this dumb broad (yeah it's a female voice)  kept saying "Road Recalculation"...it was annoying, we knew what we were doing after all,  but we let her slide.  She's finally happy when we get back on 57 South.

Tri County Detention Center

When we got to our exit, thank GOD,  the creepy voice coming from the electrical device tells us to go left when we need to go right.  Good thing we had a printed map that Chris looked at before taking off....so we went right.  Drove less than a mile and got to Tri County Detention Center.  The place is a lot smaller than what I expected.  It's about the size of a Walmart.  Barbed wire all over the place.  We arrived just before 4pm, visiting hours are 5pm - 9pm we went inside any way and there was girl in the office. I told her we drove for 6 hours and were there to visit someone.  Apparently they  make no exceptions.  You don't get in before 5 pm.  I understood, I was still annoyed none the less, she's just doing her job right?  Well come 4pm she locked the doors and left.  Someone was supposed to come at 5pm to open up shop.  We headed to the gasoline station that was less than a block or so away for a break.  We stayed there for a bit and went back.  The lot was still empty the doors were still locked.  After we parked we saw a van, driven by officers, come int. It had a couple guys in there, we figured they were restocking the money makers.  Not too long after that another van left with some more guys in the back dressed in prison cloths, so we guessed they were being taken to another facility or into the city.  Then the worst thought came into my head "What if he's not even here anymore?".

By the time 5pm came a couple cars showed up with two families.  We all waited at the door but no one came to unlock the door.  I asked the other families if it was there first time there, they said no.  So I asked if they were punctual at opening the doors, they said "nope".  I also asked them what kind of a "detention center" this was.  I thought it was odd that a "detention center" would have barbed wire all over the place.  They responded that they held all kinds of prisoners but "they mostly hold immigrants, cuz you know they get a lot of money for them".  Needless to say that Cuentames Immigrants for Sale Video came to mind.

Barney Fife finally came to open the door.  We showed him our IDs, he signed us in and took Chris's car keys.  The metal detector didn't work so he used a wand on us which kept backfiring because it kept detecting his keys.  After he was done scanning everyone he led us to another room where he radioed for the door to open then to another, finally we were in room filled with smaller 6'X6' rooms made of cement block.  We entered the last room in the row and waited.  There was a phone and a 12"X12" window.  As we waited it started to hit Chris where we were and why.  The same thing happened to me the first time I went to see Jose a the local prison he was being held before being transferred to Tri County.  It doesn't really hit you until you are there going through the process of seeing the person and then your loved one is actually there.

 Jose, finally, was brought in.  Let's just say the look on his face was priceless.  He didn't know we were going to be there so he was totally surprised.  His eyes started to tear up the moment he saw us and of course I started to cry.   I got to see the back of his head which, I admit, I wished was worse.  It did look too bad but  it looks to be spreading.  I didn't think it was bad enough to get him out for medical attention but we'll see.  We talked for the allowed time, Chris and I took turns on the phone and Jose was just really happy to see us there.  I would have taken Cairo with me but I didn't think he could handle the ride.  We said our good byes and we were back on the road.  I wished we could have brought him back home with us.  I can not wait for that day when he's home and Cairo can finally hug and squeeze his dad.


On the way back we had dinner at a Steak N Shake (yes I had a shake), saw a beautiful sunset, found ourselves in a thunder storm and saw some awesome lightening.  I tried to get a picture of lightening but it would refuse to show itself when ever I got ready for a shot.  Oh well.  We hit some traffic when we got to 55, which is beyond me why there were so many people out and about at 1am, I wanted to get to my bed and these people were getting in my way.  I got home and was in bed by 2am.

I LOVE YOU GORDO!

4 months and counting

It's been 4 months since Jose was arrested.  He had court on the first of the month, it was continued to next month.  We are still praying for  miracle.  He was actually brought into court this time so I brought Cairo with me so they could see each other.  The attorney spoke to someone who allowed us to see him in the "visiting room", which is no different than a prison visiting room, complete with phones to talk through and glass dividers.

When we walked in, Jose was there waiting for us.  When Cairo saw him he stood stunned, not knowing what to do with himself.  He refused to speak and at one point refused to even look at Jose.  His nervousness kicked in and started tearing at his already practically bleeding nails.  This is a new habit he's developed in the last few weeks. Both my mom and my sister-in-law were there, we were all crying our eyes out.  It had been 4 months since Cairo and Jose had seen each other.  Finally Cairo felt comfortable enough to talk to his father, at that point we couldn't get him off the phone.  It was a bitter sweet moment.  Then the time came to be in the court room and Cairo behaved like a little gentleman but the look on his face when he saw his father handcuffed hurt me to the core.  Why did they have to hand cuff him? He has no history of violence not to mention all the armed officers he'd run into, if he dare make a break for it.  It all just seemed so exaggerated.  Plus we couldn't even hug him, give him a kiss on the cheek...he was less then 6 feet away from us and Cairo was not allowed to hug his daddy.

Throughout hearing they kept making googly eyes at each other, smiled  and blew each other kisses.  Then it was time to say good-bye....in that cold, spirit killing visiting room.  Jose would be driven back, 6 hrs to the detention center and we would be on the train back home with out him.

Petition Closed

Upon the advice of our attorney the online petition has been closed.  Thanks to all of you who signed.  We had about 60 online signatures.  I felt a little disappointed but at the same time I think he is right...once it is all said and done you want to have a normal life and online is forever and privacy is something we do cherish.  It doesn't mean are stopping our fight it just means we are going to be a little more conservative about it.

Thanks again.