Posted on 11/07/2006 7:10:27 AM PST by kerryusama04
Dick's American husband, Brady, and son, Zachary, joined her in Mexico.
"We don't know what to do," Myrna Dick said.
"You feel like, 'We're stuck here,'" Brady Dick said.
KMBC's Donna Pitman traveled to Mexico with Brady Dick's aunt and uncle, Bob and Julie Zoller, of Paola, Kan.
Myrna Dick and her family now live in Playa de Tijuana.
"I just pray every day God will give me the strength to survive here," Myrna Dick said.
"This is ... this is not a very nice place. You've got rotting garbage all over. Sewage is pumped directly into the ocean," Brady Dick said. "It breaks my heart seeing kids, Zachary's age. They have nothing. They don't know when their next meal is going to come."
The Dicks told Pitman that they are also concerned about safety.
"Down here it seems like there's really no law. It's really out of control and really uncivilized," Brady Dick said. "Thursday, we had a police officer shot just down the street from us. He was killed."
Pitman reported that the Dicks live in a sparse apartment behind a restaurant. Myrna Dick and her son spend most of their time at home. Brady Dick commutes to a job in San Diego.
"It takes me 45 minutes to two-and-half hours, depending on traffic, just to get across the border," Brady Dick said.
Myrna Dick told Pitman that even though she lives less than 200 yards from a wall that separates Mexico from the United States, she feels that she is a world away from home. Myrna Dick moved to the United States as a young girl.
"You know, I don't know very much about Mexico," Myrna Dick said. "It's just so hard to think I'm a couple of steps from the United States."
"Our mission is to get this family back; we're going to do it," said Bob Zoller.
"A lot of people in Kansas City who see this probably think she's had her day in court. Well, she hasn't," Julie Zoller said.
Myrna Dick hoped to prove to a circuit court judge that she did not lie about her identity. But the U.S. Supreme Court said no to that request in October.
"I'm learning you come to the point you need some help. Everybody needs a little help sometimes. We need a lot of help right now," Brady Dick said.
The Dicks said they hope people will push so they can get their day in court. They want to hear from the officer who said Myrna Dick lied at the border.
"We haven't been able to bring her accuser to court to examine and cross-examine. Could there have possibly been a miscommunication?" Bob Zoller said.
"It's unbelievable if you think about our little boy, what his choices are ... to be able to be in a good environment in his country or to be able to hug his mom," Brady Dick said.
Pitman reported that Myrna Dick faces a new problem in Mexico. She has been unable to get a Mexican identification card. The government told her she needs two years proof of residency.
"If I'm in Mexico and home, why can't I even get an ID to start a new life here?" Myrna Dick said.
Without a Mexican ID, Myrna Dick can't move to any other country, Pitman reported.
"People in Kansas and Missouri, if it is in your heart, call your congressmen and senators. Keep calling them," Brady Dick said.
"I just want them to give us the opportunity to demonstrate, one more time, we deserve to be in America," Myrna Dick said.
Money quote: "People in Kansas and Missouri, if it is in your heart, call your congressmen and senators. Keep calling them," Brady Dick said.
Personally, I called Talent's office when this went down and thanked him for upholding the law.
Does anyone know why they ALL have to be in Mexico?
And the drug dealers and gang members get to stay. Nice.
Why can't they just get a Matricula Consular card? Doesn't Mexico have those? sarc
I often wonder if there's a single person on earth that doesn't,in the eyes of "immigration advocates",have the right to live in (and collect "benefits" in) the United States.
I am opposed to illegal immigration. We need to vigorously enforce our borders. But I am kind of reminded of Cheech Marin's bad movie, Born In East LA, where he was confused for an illegal immigrant and deported, when he didn't even speak any spanish.
If a child is like 2, comes up here, and at 25 is sent back to Mexico, it will be a massive culture shock. I do feel for them. They grew up American. They aren't Americans, but you know what I mean.
I agree with you. There has to be some common sense here.
This ridiculous article is very short on facts. Myrna simply "moved to the United States" when she was a young girl? Legally, illegally? Where are her parents? How was she caught? What makes her think she was wronged?
She left out the pervasive smell of burn meat that mingles with the heavy sweet/sour smell of rotting garbage and sewage, but, otherwise that pretty much describes the place. I've been there, and like most border towns it's a place where the absolutely worst elements of both cultures flourish in a sort of moral vacuum. I believe psychologists call it an anomie.
Is this the woman who was holed up in a church in Chicago?
If she was two when her parents brought her over, it's not her fault.
"If a child is like 2, comes up here, and at 25 is sent back to Mexico, it will be a massive culture shock. I do feel for them. They grew up American. They aren't Americans, but you know what I mean."
but wait --
Wasn't there at least one amnesty given during that time? All you had to do was present some ID and proof you've been living here, and you were "in"?
I kinda feel for them, but this poor lady's parents didn't get anyone amnesty when it was offered...
Did they even try to become legal once they got here or did they just plan to squat their whole lives? These are important questions.
Yes, there was an amnesty. I worry about kids more than adults. My methods are harsh btw. I think kids brought up here, can stay up here, freed for adoption. Parents have to go back to Mexico. They can take the kids with them. Or leave them. I don't want to punish kids. They are the innocent victims. If they have been living her most of their lives I don't want them to suffer in Mexico. The adults who come over though, need a ticket back and a fence to high to scale.
Does it matter? She said she didn't know much about Mexico so she was prob very young which in case IT WASN'T HER CHOICE. For all intents and purposes this looks likes the only country she's ever known and it was wrong and immoral to send her back, to make her pay for her parents mistakes.
This is STUPID. She IS for all practical purposes an American. She is just another VICTIM of our out of control,
MINDLESS overlords in DC.
Think about it: She came as a child. She speaks English. She hates Mexico. (a real plus) And she feels like she is in a foreign country. (If you've ever been gone overseas and come back, you would know what I mean. You feel like kissing the ground when you get back)
I would feel different IF: She spoke Spanish. She was a reconquista booster. She loved Mexico. etc, etc, etc.
How many gang bangers, burglers, murderers, drunk drivers, ad nausem did our enlightened gov lawyers pass over to get to this harmless American girl? hmmmmmm?????????
If I had the power, I would bring her back, and put the gov
lawyer who hung her scalp on his belt, well I'd put her or him into the rat hole apartment that the girl is in now.
Another thing. She even named her kids with AMERICAN names.
Now how 'mexican' is that.
Least any of you people think I am a mexican booster, nothing could be further from the truth. I loath Mexico.
I loath reconquistas. I loath having to hear spanish all the time, down here in Dallas. But there is something I loath MORE: government lawyers and fools, who "only want to help us".
Gag me with a taco.
Bye Bye
Long live Texas
To the gov goons: Get a brain. When you deport, make an effort to deport mexicans, not Americans.
I love the land, but I hate the mindless overlords in gov.
For all intents and purposes this looks likes the only country she's ever known and it was wrong and immoral to send her back, to make her pay for her parents mistakes.
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Yes, it's sad, but the bleeding heart crap is what got us to this point.
Suppose her parents performed breaking and entering crime and got away with millions. 10 years later, her portion and life style is ripped from her, she now lives in poverty, in the slums. But, but, don't make her suffer for her parents mistake. Let her keep the money.
Hate to brake the news, even scripture says your children will pay for your sins.
Obviously she should have shot a couple of border control officers. Then they would have gone to Mexico, brought her back, offered her immunity to testify and then given her a green card.
When you deport, make an effort to deport mexicans, not Americans.
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She is NOT an American. She is in FACT, Mexican. I know the facts just get in the way of criminal reality, but there it is.
Oh yeah, BTW, the bleeding heart victim card is no longer accepted in these here parts. Don't like the laws...CHANGE THEM, but by all means FOLLOW THEM and stop with the excuses.
I would agree. SHE is fine and welcome here. Her PARENTS should be deported, but not her. She grew up here and clearly doesn't love Mexico.
I disagree with you. She is an American.
I am not a bleeding heart.
My point IS: the fools in dc have plenty of opportunity to get rid of REAL problem people. Like the fxxxs that burglerized my place. But instead they go for the soft targets, and leave the gang bangers here.
Now what the f... is going on with that?
Hmmm??????????
I feel for this women, Mexico is a toilet. But there are a lot more people in much worse shape that I'll spend my sympathy on.
Why was this woman deported? The article bounces ever so briefly off the fact that she "came to the U.S. as a young girl." Was she adopted by U.S. citizens? Immigrated legally with family? Smuggled across the border by a coyote? Where are her parents or other family? Are they in the U.S.? Legally?
The article also hints that the reason she was deported was that she allegedly lied to a border guard. Was she entering or leaving the U.S. at the time? What was the lie? "Yes, I'm a U.S. citizen"? "My name is Myrna Dick"? "No, that's not ten kilos of cocaine in my trunk"? What does she claim she actually said that is different from what the border guard says she said?
Finally, my knowledge on immigration laws is incomplete (gee, you'd think a comprehensive, well-written news article on such a topic might fill in those blanks). But I was under the impression that an alien would automatically qualify for U.S. residency if he or she were legitimately married to a U.S. citizen. Is her husband a citizen? If so, why did that fact not qualify her for residency? Why did he and their son move to Mexico while the legalities are being worked out?
Obviously, the purpose of this "article" is to inflame passions and encourage people to call or write their officials in support of this woman, rather than to present the relevant facts of the story. But I cannot stand reading an article that presents so little useful information on the subject being covered that it leaves the reader more confused than before he was aware of the story.
The law is a blunt instrument; the enforcement of any law will in some unjust results because it cannot address every case. What happened to this woman is one of those unjust results, but that doesn't mean the law itself is either unjust, or that it shouldn't be enforced uniformly.
The answer, IMHO, is a private bill.
Does it matter? She said she didn't know much about Mexico so she was prob very young which in case IT WASN'T HER CHOICE. For all intents and purposes this looks likes the only country she's ever known and it was wrong and immoral to send her back, to make her pay for her parents mistakes.
So what is the cutoff age for deportation? Maybe there should be one, I don't know. You both seem to know, so what is the cutoff? 19, 20, 35?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1149324/posts
Background on the total case
Sorry, but I am always skeptical of any article that only presents info from one side. Everyone quoted is from her side, no detailing of the actual facts (there is a link, but that is simply an attempt to bury the other side, since many skimming the article won't take the time to go to the link.)
I'd guess that there is more to the story than what is being reported.
This 'reporting' is so bereft of why Dick is stuck in Mexico it raises more suspicions than sympathy.
It is a sordid affair. If I recall corectly, she came as a yute for some medical procedures, got permission to stay, but someone neglected to file a paper or something. She knew she was illegal for many years before being found out. It is very confusing.
They polute in MEX? Naw! Only the U.S. Polutes!
No. I am sorry to all for posting and running, but I gotta go vote! Hasta Luego :)
She is stupid for staying in Tijuana. Until this is straightened out, she should find a place in Ensenada, her husband should rent a studio apartment near work, and they should get together on the weekend.
Yes, she didn't participate in the amnesty for some ridiculous reason. The rest of her family did. This one is bizare, but the law is the law.
Thanks for the reasoned reply and info kerryusama.
Tiajuana Beach is a nice place compared to most of TJ - it is where the wealthy Mexicans live. You can see numerous fancy houses with satellite dishes there. It has a bullring, numerous medical offices that cater to Americans, a supermarket, large Catholic church, American fast food restaurants as well as a great Mexican restaurant next to the bullring, a great view of the sea, and an ocean breeze. In short, it has San Diego weather.
I wouldn't worry about this woman's whining - she speaks good English and can get a job as a receptionist or nurse in a local medical clinic for alternative medicine and the rent is cheap there compared to San Diego.
There is a lot of stuff that is not too clear in this article. Myrna Dick supposedly had a work permit to work in the US, but when she went to renew the permit they said that she had lied to border guards and told them she was a US citizen when re-entering the states after a trip out of the country. If she had a legal work permit, why would she lie?
I think this case is different from your normal illegal alien case. She had taken responsible measure to be registered to be in this country. She wasn't running around hiding from the government. She is married to an American citizen and they had applied for her citizenship and were waiting for it to go through.
BTTT
So they can get sympathetic liberal editors to send young and gullible reporters to interview them and publish their typical story of what happens to all the fine people kicked out of the U.S. by an evil government at the hands of hard-hearted bureaucrats?
She claims to have made 3 attempts to gain permanent resident status but was told that her file was missing but not to worry. In 1998, her grandmother died and she went to Mexico to attend the funeral. At the border, whe was fingerprinted and told the guards she was a US citizen. That is the problem.
Later, she married a US citizen and made another attempt to apply for permanent residence status (2001?). Don't know what happened with that.
In 2004, she went to renew her work permit and everything caught up with her and she was to be deported but she was pregnant. They waited until the baby was born before deporting her.
She and her parents have had 20 years to get this paperwork straightened out. Is that not enough time? Haven't they heard of lawyers? Geesh! It sounds to me like they just assumed they'd never have a problem and the paperwork wasn't worth pursuing. I bet she thinks differently now.
I'm sympathetic to a point. I hate that she's miserable now but it's not like she didn't have options.
"Down here it seems like there's really no law. It's really out of control and really uncivilized," Brady Dick said. "Thursday, we had a police officer shot just down the street from us. He was killed."
Having just returned from the Tampa area, for a moment,I thought you were talking about Florida. A bit of an exaggeration, but I fear not for long.
Make the cutoff age 18, why not? True it's arbitury but every age requirement is.
This case, as well as others similar, seem to be staged by the immigration enforcement officials for two purposes. One, they can say they are doing something about illegal immigration. Two, they are stirring up sentiment against deportation. Meanwhile millions of illegals reside here protected by the very people who are charged with enforcing laws against illegal immigration. The welcome mat is out for millions of future illegals because of lack of enforcement.
We have a heart. They need some conscience -- you know, the thing that helps you remember to obey the laws?? ACK!!
ping
YEAH! YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!!!! I visited some friends in Bogota for only ten days and that's exactly how I felt. It immediately reminded me of the pictures of the POWs returning from Viet Nam who did that as soon as they disembarked from the plane.
I agree with everything else you posted, too.
When are we just gonna conquer Mexico again?
ping
I disagree with you. She is an American.
I am not a bleeding heart.
My point IS: the fools in dc have plenty of opportunity to get rid of REAL problem people. Like the fxxxs that burglerized my place. But instead they go for the soft targets, and leave the gang bangers here.
Now what the f... is going on with that?
Hmmm??????????
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Yes, they need to focus on the thugs as well, but if I break into someones home and live in their attic for 5 years, it does not mean I'm part of their family.
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