Many seniors look forward with nervousness to the trappings of high school graduation. It's a time of hope and uncertainty.
Cathedral City High School senior Fidel Correa is no exception, although he has a heightened sense of uncertainty.
The day after graduation, Fidel's mother, Maria, will be deported to Mexico to join Fidel's father, also named Fidel, who was taken away from their home in handcuffs by the INS on Feb. 28 and sent back to Tijuana on a bus.
"Most of the time I feel hopeless," said the 17-year-old senior who was born in the United States. "I can't control what is going on. Already I have changed my plans from going to Cal-State Long Beach and Cal-Poly Pomona, where I have been accepted. Instead, I'll be going to College of the Desert next year. Money is an even bigger issue now."
He carried a 4.2 grade point average going into this, his senior year. "My grades dropped since my Dad's arrest," said Fidel Jr., a student in the Digital Arts Technology Academy at CCHS. "I almost dropped out of school a couple times. I started seeing a psychologist, I was and continue to be treated for high blood pressure, and then my Mom miscarried at the end of April."
Fidel's parents came here illegally about 17 years ago, and have spent the past 14 years going through the permanent residency proceedings. "In 2005 when I was in eighth grade, we went before a judge who denied our case," said the CCHS student. "We began the appeal process, called stay of removal, which allowed my parents to stay in the United States."
"You always fell a sense of apprehension. My Dad was hesitant about making decisions. He turned down an opportunity to become a manager because he didn't know how long he would be allowed to stay in the U.S."
One of the options is to turn over guardianship to an uncle until Fidel turns 18 in October. The uncle would be the guardian for both Fidel and his younger brother who is 14.
Money has been transferred to Fidel's name, and he is suddenly responsible for paying the bills. Because of his father's loss of income, they have missed mortgage payments, and are trying to short sell their house.
Fidel Correa Sr. always stressed the value of education to his son. It would have been his proudest moment to see his son walk across the stage and accept his high school diploma.
Now, with his father exiled across the border and his mother ordered to join him less than 24 hours after her son graduates, June eighth will be a bittersweet moment for Fidel Correa Jr., caught in the crossfire of immigration.
