By Jamie Iglesias

Daily Titan Staff Writer

For many of us, the idea of separating from our family is devastating, but when there is a deportation notice at the door, familial separation becomes real.

I have never personally been affected by deportation, but for 10 years of my life I was separated from my older sister. This separation was hardest for my mother. She would make calls to El Salvador almost every day, and I would see her cry at the end of each conversation.

When I finally met my sister, I understood why my mother cried. We were separated for a decade, and we knew nothing about each other.

We were separated because she was not a legal citizen.

When I see families being divided because of deportation, I can only imagine how hard it must be for them.

I have seen Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the news arresting immigrants, and I immediately start thinking about their wives, husbands and children who have just been separated from their loved ones.

Most of the people who are being deported have not even committed a major crime. Seventy-two percent of deportees have been charged for non-violent crimes between 1997 and 2007, according to the Human Rights Watch “Forced Apart” report.

Families are the main victims in this situation. They are being separated and literally left to somehow accept the situation for what it is.

Children are being torn from their parents’ care. Their parents are then put into a devastating situation.

They either choose to remain separated and find a way to somehow support their families with a much lower income or join them in their native countries so they can stay together.

Their situation goes from bad to worse. Many immigrants have worked for years developing and maintaining their families only to have the obstacles increase.

Immigrants have established their lives here. They work hard, and they support their families like any other American. They come to America to avoid the hardships of their native lands, like starvation, low income and sometimes persecution.

My parents escaped a civil war in El Salvador; they worked hard, became legal residents and are now living their version of the American Dream.

I could never imagine the devastation of being separated from them.

Immigrants want to experience freedom, and they want a chance to prosper because these are opportunities that are not available in their native countries.

It is hard to come to a new country and adapt to a completely different set of ideals and customs, but immigrants come with determination and find a way to cope with their new surroundings. It is not an easy life, but they strive every day to make it work.

I have met many people in my community who have faced the realities of immigration. Some of my closest friends are immigrants; they are cautious of their actions and realize that these obstacles have become part of their lives.

Like many, my friends have lived in the U.S. for many years, but they face the reality that they are living in a country where not everyone welcomes them.

Deportations seem like an easy solution to many of the problems our nation faces, primarily when it comes to a financial crisis. However, we should acknowledge that immigrants are no different than permanent residents.

When we see immigrants that are being deported, we need to think about that person not as a criminal, but as a member of a family, because ultimately, the institution of family is the true victim.