IN MY SHOES: Mexican-Born Engineer Deports Himself Because He Wanted To “Do The Right Thing”
The Arizona Republic profiles Oscar Vazquez, 24, who came to the U.S. illegally with his mother when he was a tween, excelled in school, married an American citizen, had a daughter and graduated from Arizona State University with an engineering degree in 2009 - President Barack Hussein Obama delivered the commencement address:
A year later, Vazquez sat in a dark bedroom in [Sonora, Mexico], his engineering degree tucked in a scrapbook filled with other mementos of his college days.
Even as he listened to Obama speak of brighter futures, Vazquez knew his path first would have to go through Mexico, where he would admit his illegal status and ask for permission to re-enter the U.S.
"I decided to take a gamble and do the right thing," he said.
Shortly after graduation in May 2009, Vazquez moved to Mexico, separating himself from his U.S. citizen wife and year-old daughter in Phoenix. …
Vazquez knew he had gone as far as an illegal immigrant could go. Companies that hired college graduates did not look the other way when it came to immigration status, something Vazquez learned when he was denied college internships.
"I didn't want to get stuck in a low-end job and not be able to apply my degree to anything," he said.
Vazquez is seeking a waiver of grounds of excludability - essentially asking the government to forgive his illegal presence in the country and allow him to stay. Under the law, because Vazquez illegally remained in the country for so long after his 18th birthday, he is barred from the U.S. for 10 years.
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