A 19-year-old Joshua Tree man is struggling to keep himself from panicking as he deals with the fact that his parents, who have lived in the United States for nearly 20 years and who own their own housecleaning business in Joshua Tree, were detained by the Border Patrol Friday. His father was deported to Mexico Saturday, and the future of his mother—who is still in the United States—remains unclear. Managing editor Tami Roleff has the details…
“I was pretty much just like panicking and freaking out and having a huge mental breakdown because I wasn’t expecting everything to just come crashing down.”
19-year-old Arturo Reyes was at the Joshua tree Music Festival Friday when he got a call to come get his 13-year-old brother, who had been with their parents, Flora Lorenzo and Ricardo Pelcastre, when they were stopped by the military police for scrapping on the Marine Base. Reyes said the MPs—who called the Border Patrol—did not want his younger brother to see his parents taken into custody. The Border Patrol took the parents to a detention center in Indio.
Reyes heard from his step-father later that night. “I got a call from my dad about 1 a.m. [Saturday] from Indio; he was in a detention center. He was deported to Mexico Saturday afternoon.”
When Reyes called the detention center to find out about his parents, “They told me my dad was going to be deported and my mom was going to be sent down to Calexico.”
“She has the right to stay here, because she has two kids. She’s paid her taxes and she has no criminal background; neither does my dad.”
Reyes’ father has been in the United States for 16 years; during that time, he was deported once and returned. His mother has been in the U.S. for 20 years and has never been deported.
Reyes’ parents moved to Joshua Tree four years ago from Los Angeles because the cost of living was much more affordable here. They own their own housecleaning business.
Reyes, who is a student at Copper Mountain College, said the past few days have been extremely stressful, as he is now responsible for not only taking care of his younger brother, but also his college studies, and paying his parents’ mortgage on their Joshua Tree house and other bills.
“It’s hard to study for finals; it’s been really devastating for me. We are a loving family. I’m trying to keep myself sane and calm, trying to keep my focus on graduation.”
Reyes has contacted a lawyer in Los Angeles to help bring his parents back home to Joshua Tree. In the meantime, he’s established a GoFundMe account:
