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The series & assignment
This article is one in a series created by students in Mr. Alex Escamilla's journalism class at Southwest Community Campus. Students were asked to complete artwork and write an article regarding immigration issues in Grand Rapids, and America as a whole. Students worked with artist Reyna Garcia and Grandville Avenue Arts and Humanities to complete artwork that best showed their views on immigration.
For more information on the project and those involved, click here.
All artwork will be displayed in an upcoming art show, open to the public.
Users may vote, comment, share, or tweet these articles up until the art show. The student whose article and artwork receives the most votes, comments, shares, and tweets will receive a special Rapidian award.
Other articles by the same author
Other articles by this author
THE FEED
by Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities (GAAH News Bureau) on Wednesday May 2nd, 2012 10:44am in OPINION 
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By Noemi G.
On a summer afternoon, 27-year-old Juan Lopez was pulled over for having loud music coming from his automobile. Police completed a background check there and police learned that Juan Lopez was an illegal immigrant. Juan Lopez was detained and held in Battle Creek, MI that same day. Reporters spoke to Juan's wife. She told reporters that Juan had called that day telling her that he was detained in Battle Creek, MI. Juan's wife also told reporters that Juan was going to be deported back to Mexico.
Juan's wife was shattered and inconsolable. Now her children will be fatherless. Juan was a loving father with two children and with one on the way. Juan was incarcerated in Battle Creek for almost two years. During that time he missed many family milestones and he wasn't there to observe the birth of his newborn son.
After almost two years in Battle Creek, Juan was finally deported back to Mexico. His family followed because they thought that Mexico would be a whole new start. It was for a while until one day changed Juan's life forever.
Juan was shot while walking with his family. Juan Lopez died almost instantly. His family was destroyed. Juan left his family alone once again, but this time forever. Our question to Congress is, do those kids deserve to be fatherless just because he crossed the border searching for a better life?
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