FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, today I offer private immigration
relief legislation to provide an immigrant visa or lawful permanent
resident status to Maria Mendoza Sanchez, Eusebio Sanchez, and Vianney
Sanchez. The family represents the essence of the American dream. I
believe they merit Congress' special consideration for this relief. In August 2014, my office assisted Maria and Eusebio with Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during their request for a stay of
removal. Under the previous administration, ICE found that their case
was worthy of a favorable exercise of discretion. This was an
acknowledgement that they posed no public safety risk, had no criminal
records, and therefore should not be priorities for deportation. Despite this, in 2017, the Trump administration, told Maria and
Eusebio that they were no longer eligible for a stay of removal and
that they should prepare for deportation Mario and Eusebio pled with
ICE to reconsider this sudden change in policy and I supported their
request--believing it would be senseless and callous to remove them
from our Country. However, all possible avenues to delay their
deportation were denied by immigration. officials. In August 2017, after living productive lives in this Country for 23
years, Maria and Eusebio were deported back to Mexico. Their
deportation was truly heartbreaking for me, their family, and their
community. I personally met Maria and Eusebio and can attest that they
are the kind of people we should welcome into the United States with
open arms. They are hardworking, law-abiding people who have been self-
supporting, have paid their taxes, and owned a home in East Oakland. Prior to her deportation, Maria worked as a registered nurse in a
local hospital in Oakland, CA. She provided care to patients afflicted
with conditions such as trauma, stroke, and cancer. Her supervisor said
that her ``genuine compassion, appreciation for her work, and deep
knowledge of nursing practices made her an excellent addition to [our
hospital].'' Another letter of support said that Maria ``is a great
asset to our hospital, community, and country. She is the epitome of
what Americans should be.'' Maria's bilingual skills made her a
strategic asset in assisting patients at work, which serves uninsured,
underserved, and low-income populations. Her deportation is a great
loss to many of the patients that relied on her critical assistance as
they went through medical treatment. Similar to Maria, Eusebio was a hardworking contributor to their
community. He was a truck driver for a San Francisco-based company, and
his employer has described him as ``very reliable, trustworthy, [a]
team player, and exceptional worker.'' His friends describe him as
someone who ``is a good person, responsible at work, willing to help
when we need assistance.''
Together, Eusebio and Maria have raised four children--three of whom
are U.S. citizens. Their oldest daughter, Vianney, age 23, has
protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA,
program. She graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz
with a degree in Psychology. She has aspirations of using her education
to work in public service and help her community. She is passionate
about doing work that allows her to focus on improving the lives of
residents of Oakland and the Bay Area. As a result of Maria and
Eusebio's deportation, Vianney will be assuming responsibility of her
two younger sisters. I believe that Vianney's determination to make
sure her sisters are properly cared for, after dealing with the
crushing experience of being separated from her parents, is a testament
to her remarkable strength and resilience, and a sign of the kind of
values instilled in her by her now deported parents. The Sanchez's second daughter, Melin, age 21, is a U.S. citizen. She
is currently enrolled at the University of California at Santa Cruz,
where she is studying molecular cell and developmental biology. She has
aspirations of becoming a pediatrician. Maria and Eusebio paid her
college tuition and supported her as she studied for the MCAT and
volunteered at a hospital. Their deportation leaves Melin's college
tuition in peril. The Sanchez's third daughter, Elizabeth, age 16, is a U.S. citizen
and is currently enrolled at the NEA Community Learning Center in
Alameda. Elizabeth was diagnosed with a speech delay and learning
disabilities at a young age, but with the support of her parents, was
able to make great progress and is doing well in school.
Keywords matched
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