Why This Is Important
Luis Sobrinho came to the United State from Brazil in 1998, and after a year of getting settled, he reunited his family by bringing his wife and 4 children to Florida. Since then, Luis has become a master cabinetmaker and has remained a dedicated husband, father, and member of his community.
On Tuesday, January 24, 2012, after Luis had just returned from dropping his 8-year old daughter off to school, ICE officers entered his house with guns drawn and interrogated Luis and his family. Luis was taken away by ICE that morning & his family has been suffering ever since. What did Luis and his family do to deserve being violently separated? His visa expired.
Sidney Do Carmo is Luis’s wife and the mother of their 6 children. She is a strong woman who is doing the best she can in the absence of her husband. Luis is the main source of income for their family. Without his income, Sidney and 4 of her children are living off of the charity of the church, friends, neighbors, and their extended family. Unfortunately, Sidney is having to tend to the deteriorating physical and mental health of Luis’s youngest daughters.
Eight year old Caroline suffers from difficult breathing due to allergies and may require surgery. The family has no way to afford such surgery while Luis is detained. Five year old Jennifer is unable to sleep and has turned from a lively, happy child to a depressed child who can’t understand why her father is behind bars. Twenty three year old Jacqueline has now postponed her wedding – everyone’s lives have been put on hold – because Luis is such an important part of their family.
Luis Sobrinho has tried several times to change his immigration status. When no avenues were available for him, he decided to stay because his wife, Sidney, was pregnant with serious health issues and needed prenatal care already being provided for her. Nobody should ever have to choose between breaking up their family or violating the law. This is what the U.S. government is trying to do to the Sobrinho family.
According to the memo issued by John Morton, Luis is not a priority for deportation and should be granted favorable exercise of prosecutorial discretion.
