IL student hopes detained father will be home for the holidays

By Judith Ruiz-Branch • Illinois News Connection

A Chicago family affected by federal immigration operations is hoping for a resolution that can reunite them this holiday season.

A student at DePaul University, Katelyn – who prefers her last name not be shared – said her father has been in a detention facility in Michigan since Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained him in September while he was on his way to work. Although her family maintains daily communication with him and tries to visit on weekends, she said the lengthy process has weighed on her and her family.

Katelyn, a college senior, said she’s fallen behind at school as she and her family have had to fill the gap left by her father’s absence.

“We had to navigate the process of how it’s like without having a father at home,” she said. “It came with more responsibilities, paying bills and how to pay credit cards for my dad. I mentally was not focused.”

Katelyn’s father is from Belize and she said he was in the process of obtaining his green card when he was detained. His next court date is scheduled for this week, and she said the family is hoping for some good news that will move them closer to seeing him come home soon.

Katelyn said her father has been in the United States for more than 20 years and does have a criminal history, including some convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol. But she said the last one was about 10 years ago and he’s been sober since 2016, attending weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

“So, I think that has impacted his case a little bit,” she said, “and we have been trying to fight his case on how he’s been better and how he’s a much better person, father, brother. But it’s a lot harder than we thought.”

Katelyn said her family was fortunate that her brother was there when her father got detained – otherwise, they wouldn’t know what happened to him. She said her father has met a lot of people in the detention facility who’ve been in the United States for many years with similar stories.

“People just like him – like, hardworking people just trying to make a better living for them and their family,” she said. “I just hope that everyone can understand. And I just hope that this all can be over and families can be together again and everything can be better for all of us.”