Four year old Emily, a citizen of the United States, was excited at the prospect of spending time with her Grandfather in her family’s homeland. While planning the trip, her blue eyes would shine brightly any time she was asked about the trip. Her blond hair gave her the appearance of an angel, leading people to tease her about her beauty. Because she had never travelled so far before, she felt a bit nervous about the long flight, but she also felt secure in the knowledge that her Granddaddy would be with her and he was the kindest man she’d ever known. It held the promise of a fun adventure for a shy little girl; one to remember for the rest of her life.Following her visit, it was her parents’ plan for little Emily to travel back to New York with her Grandfather by her side. The only problem was, the plane was diverted from its original destination. So instead of New York, the plane landed in Washington DC. Worse, once there, the Grandfather was detained by INS; not because he had done anything wrong, but because the Grandfather’s visa had expired. This meant that the little girl was held separately for many hours while the decision was made to send Grandpa back to his home country.
So much for a dream vacation that she would always remember. Instead, little Emily’s memory became one of being detained at the wrong airport, then separated from the only person she knew and trusted. But it gets worse. Emily was then placed back on a plane and sent with her Grandfather, not to her home in New York but to another land. For all intents and purposes, little Emily was deported from her own country! And while her parents were called, the only choices given to them were these: “We will place her in foster care custody or we will send her back to her Grandfather’s home in another country... Which is it?” The option not given to them was to drive down to Washington and pick her up. They'd heard horror stories of what happens to children in foster care. So in the face of such big government, her parents felt helpless to do anything but allow them to have their way.
I don’t know about you, but if I had a little girl who was supposed to be accompanied home by her Grandpa, from a long and potentially scary journey, only to discover that the older man was taken into custody for an expired Visa, I’d be pretty anxious. Then, if I found out that my little girl was then not allowed to continue her flight to her own home, I’d be livid. Yet, this actually happened. A frightened little girl named Emily, was treated as if she were some kind of illegal alien who could not be allowed back into her own country. I guess the powers that be decided that we must be protected from the likes of her, by george.
Even Amazon Sage was perplexed as to what to do. By the time she dream-traveled to Washington, to find out where the pretty little “villain” was being held, not only had deportation procedures begun, the girl was already gone; out of there, Kaput! Our fearless super hero did the next best thing, she visited with the parents and suggested that they seek legal remedies. Because just like you or me, Emily’s parents love their child more than anything in the world and were astounded that this could happen this week, in this land, of the free. Are you with me on this?
Now, what if I told you I disguised the little girl’s appearance for her protection? Would that make a difference to you? Before you answer, think about it. Emily’s still only four years old, but instead of blond hair, what if it was dark brown or black? Instead of blue eyes, what if they were brown. Are you still feeling as sympathetic? If not, why not? I hate to say it, but I think her coloring makes all the difference in the world. Notice your reaction when I tell you that the little girl’s last name is Ruiz. Are you still as willing to fight for her right to be able to return home to her own family, to her own country, the way you were a few moments ago? I hope so. After all, if you're reading this post, you must be a good person. :-) Now, my sweet friends, go wake somebody up and tell them what you really think. All the Emilys of the world will thank you.
