Pirate's Cove

We’re supposed to sob over this

‘Every day is a nightmare’: Wife of deported father calls for immigration changes

When Cindy Garcia and her two children arrive at their Michigan home, everyone becomes silent.

“Until my husband comes back to us, every day is a nightmare,” she said.

It’s been happening since Jan. 15, the day her husband was deported. Jorge Garcia was living in the U.S. for nearly 30 years.

They’ve tried to obtain his citizenship since 2005.

Advocates say the system needs changed, citing immigration policy problems and differences with immigration courts across the country.

In April, Cindy Garcia’s family took a two-and-a-half week trip to visit her husband. The family says Jorge Garcia has no criminal record, and they’re still working to bring him back to the U.S.

“Every day we relive him leaving. Every day it affects me,” she said. “I have to be grounded. I have to ask for God’s help, I said, because it is very hard to try to not show any type of emotion toward my children because I want them to be strong.”

When people remind Cindy Garcia that the deportation is over, she tells them the nightmare doesn’t disappear. She, her son, Jorge, and her daughter, Soleil, appreciate the chance to visit others, from family to friends, to keep their minds occupied. But when they get back to their home, it’s a constant reminder there’s one less person there.

Sorry, but he was here illegally. This is on him. And the family could move to be with him. There’s no mention of her legal status.

“We’re trying and we’re pushing to get it all out there so people don’t forget about us,” she said. “Don’t forget about the children being left behind — because they’re the ones being affected.”

That’s on Jorge, who knowingly broke U.S. law.

But Garcia said she still hopes the U.S. will improve its pathway for people to become citizens and reunite children with missing parents.

What’s to improve? You apply for citizenship and go through the legal, established process. Not come to the U.S. illegally/overstay your visa then demand you be given citizenship.