Posted on 04/10/2025 8:47:58 PM PDT by 11th_VA
Helena DaSilva Hughes, president of the Immigrants’ Assistance Center, said she’s been talking with Portuguese officials in the Azores to understand what families will need in order to “self-deport.” Credit: Jodi Hilton/The Public’s Radio Lucia flips through immigration papers she keeps in a large pink folder at her home in New Bedford. She’s originally from the Azorean islands, an autonomous region of Portugal, and has lived in the U.S. with her husband and two children for about 12 years.
The walls of her home are lined with family photos and potted plants with little Portuguese flags stand by the entrance. At the center of her living room, a large ceramic statue of the saint Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres watches over Lucia, cloaked in green robes.
For years, her life in the U.S. has been comfortable. She and her husband own their own businesses, and their kids are in the local school system.
“We fell in love with this country,” Lucia said. “I never felt scared here. I never felt that I was a target to no one.”
But Lucia said she no longer feels secure in the U.S. She sees the news about ICE raids across the country and here in New Bedford. It hits home because Lucia doesn’t have legal status to live in the U.S., and fears being targeted by immigration officials. That’s why The Public’s Radio is not using her full name.
“If they deport me, you know, I’m going to lose everything that I worked hard to build here; they won’t let me take anything with me,” Lucia said.
Lucia came to the U.S. for economic opportunities and a better education for her children. The family arrived on 90-day tourist visas. Now that she’s overstayed her visa for years, there isn’t a clear way for her to apply for citizenship. And her children don’t benefit from Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, because they came to the U.S. after 2012.
Lucia said she is scared of ending up detained in a cell and separated from her family. So her family is looking into leaving the country proactively before the Trump administration forces them to. But, Lucia says, it’s a hard decision to sell their home, their businesses, and leave their lives in the U.S. behind to return somewhere that, she feels, doesn’t have much for them.
“There’s nothing left for us there [in Portugal], even for my kids. No,” Lucia said. “It’s a big step. We have so many things. We have a life of 12 years. You cannot put 12 years in a bag and pack and go.”
Immigrant advocates in the region say that Ecuadoran and Brazilian immigrants are also considering self-deportation. But Helena DaSilva Hughes, president of the Immigrants’ Assistance Center in New Bedford, said most of the calls she’s getting are from Azorean immigrants.
DaSilva Hughes said there are at least 1,000 Portuguese families in Bristol County where at least some of the family members have overstayed on tourist visas. She said this includes people who have since started families, established businesses or are homeowners now.
“The ones who are basically trying to sell their house or they have small businesses. They’re trying to cash out so they can go back to Portugal,” DaSilva Hughes said…
The people they have been talking to over the years had assured them that they were here to stay and they need not be worried. Evidently those people at the time were in control, they are not now
I would even offer illegals free transport back to their home countries. Whatever helps us get rid of the largest number of them the fastest.
The prime show 1923 has a great immigration scene. You basically had to be healthy, and have employment or were sent back.
Immigration was to help the country, not to suck off its teat.
1923 is a good series, but looking forward more to next season of landman
All these years they’ve been living the American Dream - ILLEGALLY. While denying someone else who stands in line, doing the paperwork and processing and WAITS. And Waits.
Screw her.
Well said.
My Hungarian Grandfather worked in a coal mine when he was 14 so I could have the life I do. His parents came legally.
He refused to teach us Hungarian because he was proud to be here and thought it disrespectful.
Research Biden’s plan:
Form 675
FOLLOWED BY FORM 766
ALL WITHOUT ID OR PROOF OF WHO THEY ARE
My late mom-in-law and her family came through Ellis Island in the 1910s.
Within weeks all the men had jobs.
Within one generation all spoke fluent English.
They became Americans.
And were happy and proud to do so.
If they use the app, they can apply for funds to offset cost of ticket - so I’ve read
Helena doesn’t respect the country she “loves”.
That's nice. My spleen is 'sploding because you broke our immigration laws.
According to my folks, my Hungarian grandparents refused to teach their kids Hungarian because with so many kids in the house, it was impossible to talk privately in English.
The Hungarian cuisine has survived in our clan but the language, alas, is lost.
One of my favorite videos is of a “pro illegal immigrant” rally, full of the usuals. A person pretending to be part of the rally was going around looking for volunteers to house and support illegals in their homes, none did.
Lots of excuses😂
I really hope Homan and ICE get to Cape Cod.
Hint, hint...
Actually, the clip of him speaking seems worse than that. It sounds to me like Trump wants amnesty for illegals in general, not just ones who work on farms or in hotels, so long as they go back to their home countries first. I’m finding this really amazing that Trump essentially saying there will be amnesty for illegals isn’t being discussed a lot more on the right. I can’t imagine many people voted for that. I sure didn’t.
If they’re not scared, they feel empowered. Let’s continue to make sure they’re scared.
You are right in that Homan, for example, has said within the last couple of months that as long as you self-deport when they ask you don’t lose the opportunity to come back legally.
That is the old McCain/Bush scam pushed over 20 years ago.
I’m sure it keeps big donors happy, but it’ll also keep the little guy poor.
She’s lived here for 12yrs, but overstayed her tourist by 2 yrs...I guess I’m missing something.
Anyways, she’s illegally in the U.S., so gotta go.
Notice they lined the walls of their house with Portuguese flags - not the US flag. Good riddance.
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