Uncertain legal status leaves immigrant in uncomfortable limbo

Published: 2006-03-22

SILVER SPRING, Md. (CNS) -- Rafael Garcia sounds pretty much like other immigrants who work hard in search of the "American dream." A carpenter, he shares an apartment in the Washington suburbs with his younger brothers, who all send money home to Guatemala to support their mother. Garcia scrupulously pays his taxes, has never been in trouble with the law and works hard to become fluent in English. He spends his sparse free time at his Catholic parish, where he directs a choir and has served on the pastoral council. Garcia, 38, generally feels free to lead the life he wants to, he said, away from the crushing poverty and drug gangs in his homeland. He's also far from the haunting memories of the terrifying night during Guatemala's civil war when his father was dragged from the house by armed men, never to be seen again. But there's one obstacle: He's not sure whether he has a deportation order hanging over his head. That's why "Garcia" did not want his real name used in an interview with Catholic News Service and why he hasn't seen his mother in 12 years.

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