Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez

As a former public high school librarian I met many teens who faced the real fear that this could happen to them. My concern for these young people remains a high priority and forms the basis of my desire for real, meaningful changes to our immigration problem/rules. It should also be possible to keep out the cartels and criminals. The citizens and future citizens deserve nothing less. People who want to come to the US as citizens should have a reasonable way to do so without being caught in the illegal net.

I encourage all to read books like this (especially the real stories of people caught in this web) and force our government to deal with this situation.

FROM NETGALLEY: Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez reveals her experience as the U.S. born daughter of immigrants and what happened when, at fifteen, her parents were forced back to Mexico in this galvanizing yet tender memoir.

Born to Mexican immigrants south of the Rillito River in Tucson, Arizona, Elizabeth had the world at her fingertips. She was preparing to enter her freshman year of high school as the number one student when suddenly, her own country took away the most important right a child has: the right to have a family.

When her parents’ visas expired and they were forced to return to Mexico, Elizabeth was left responsible for her younger brother, as well as her education. Determined to break the cycle of being a “statistic,” she knew that even though her parents couldn’t stay, there was no way she could let go of the opportunities the U.S. could provide. Armed with only her passport and sheer teenage determination, Elizabeth became what her school would eventually describe as an unaccompanied homeless youth, one of thousands of underage victims affected by family separation due to broken immigration laws.… (más)