Diego (not his real name)
There are many reasons why some immigrants ordered to leave the U.S. have taken sanctuary, but not publicly. In many cases it is because they will, with almost absolute certainty, be killed if returned to their countries of origin.
That is most definitely the case with Diego, whose real identity, country of origin and current location in sanctuary I have agreed not to reveal.
As a teenager, Diego and a close friend were walking together in their hometown when members of the MS-13 gang shot and killed Diego’s friend. Eventually, the police persuaded Diego to identify the murderers. After that, the gang beat Diego badly, injuring him and putting him in the hospital. Diego knew that when he was released the gang would likely finish the job.
It was then, lying in a hospital bed half dead, that the young man decided he would leave his country immediately and head north to the U.S.
Diego made it. He started a new life for himself, got married and had a son. His marriage has since ended, but Diego is single-handedly raising his 4-year-old son who now lives with him in sanctuary.
If returned to his country of origin, Diego says he would not be alive for long and he doesn’t know what would happen to his son. “I can’t take him with me into that. And I can’t just leave him behind not knowing what will happen to him,” he says.
Diego has explained all this to ICE, but he was still ordered to leave.
As in so many of these cases, deportation is little more than a death sentence.