New Britain resident, Mariano Cardoso, facing an imminent deportation order, celebrated with his family and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal that a last-minute stay had been granted, relieving him of the immediate threat of deportation.
A gentle snowfall provided a light backdrop to an emotional gathering at the Cardoso home in New Britain. Heartfelt embraces told the story of the sense of relief that the family would not have to face the immediate deportation order of the father of three, just days before Christmas.
Cardoso has been facing deportation in a time when the national government is in the grip of Republican President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant politics. The deportation order was for December 15, 2017. That very day, a stay of the deportation order was granted. The decision prevents the immediate deportation, though Cardoso still faces a challenging legal path ahead, to achieve permanent resident status and end the threat of deportation.
Senator Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (CT-5) sent letters to ask Thomas Homan, the Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the the Board of Immigration Appeals, to reconsider his case and allow a stay of deportation. Those Congressional efforts were credited at the celebration as important for having won the last minute relief from deportation.
As Blumenthal and Esty had argued on Cardoso’s behalf, he, “has two U.S. citizen children and a son who is a DACA recipient. He provides financial and other support for his family members.” They pointed out that, “Mr. Cardoso has been in the U.S. since 1990, gainfully employed as a business owner which provides employment to several others,” and that, “He is also the primary caregiver for both his mother and father.”
“Additionally,” the Senator and Congresswoman wrote, “we were informed that Mr. Cardoso’s father will undergo surgery which will place further responsibility on Mr. Cardoso to provide the needed care for his father.”
Mariano Cardoso. Sr. has lived in the United States for twenty-seven years, building a life and raising his family. In organizing a November 17th rally and vigil against Cardoso’s deportation, organizers said that, “There is no justice in deporting this father, just cruelty against a family,” adding that the candlelight vigil was held to, “bring to light the injustice of ICE using deportations to tear families and communities apart.” They added that their goal is to, “unify against a broken and cruel system of attacks against immigrants of all kinds.”
While Cardoso still faces challenges ahead, the stay of the immediate threat of deportation provided great relief for a New Britain family.
