A longer version of this article first appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on July 12, 2018, entitled: Despite what you might think, there is no ‘good-guy’ visa.
Meet Antonio, a loving husband and father of three. A skilled furniture-maker and the sole provider for his family. In his 19 years in California, he’s put down roots, worked hard, and paid his taxes like any U.S. resident. But Antonio is undocumented.
Antonio (who doesn’t want to use his last name) came here to raise a family without fear of extortion or violence in his home town near Coyoacán, Mexico. He says it’s worse there now, rife with gangs, corruption and crime. No one is safe, he says; people feel threatened — even by the authorities.
But now Antonio lives in fear here in the U.S. One night in 2013, driving home late from work, Antonio was charged with reckless driving. It was his first and only offense. It was a minor infraction but has changed his life.
The U.S. government has been trying to deport him ever since. He just lost his asylum case before an immigration judge in San Francisco. He’s appealing the ruling, but his chances are slim to none.