This falls way beyond ‘schadenfreude’ to land squarely in ‘depressing.’
An Indiana woman who proudly voted for Trump says she’s fighting to save her husband and the father of her children from being deported.
Helen Beristain says she thought “good people” would get to stay in Trump’s America, and only the “bad” ones would be deported.
“[Trump] did say the good people would not be deported. The good people would be checked,” she tells her local news station. “This is why I voted for Mr. Trump.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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Now she’s confused. She doesn’t understand why her husband of 20 years, Roberto, is being sent back to Mexico. Not just that, but he may be deported as early as… today.
“I told them that’s a joke,” Helen says, “and they said, ‘No, that’s true.'”
Roberto first came to the U.S. illegally in 1998. It was during that trip that he met his wife and the two began a family.
In 2000, they were visiting Niagara Falls when they accidentally crossed the Canadian border. When U.S. immigration agents discovered Robert0 was undocumented, they told him he had to leave the country.
Since Helen was pregnant at the time, Roberto managed to work out a deal to stay, and for the past 17 years he has maintained a work permit, paid taxes, acquired a Social Security card and driver’s license, and been checking in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials each year.
He’s currently waiting for his green card.
During his annual check-in ICE this year, Roberto was unexpectedly detained. He’s currently being held at a detention center in Wisconsin awaiting deportation.
“He’s trying to hold up,” Helen says. “He said, ‘I haven’t done anything wrong, I haven’t committed a crime. The only crime I’ve done is wanting to be in the United States.’”
If Roberto is deported, he could be barred from reentering the country for up to a decade. In the meantime, Helen says she’s trying to look at the bright side.
“Yeah, it’s going to be a long vacation in Riviera Maya,” she jokes. “Never been there! I’ve never been to Mexico! Maybe I get to be! To get to beautiful places like go to Cancun or do fun things, right?”
Um, sure.
Related: Twitter feed documents downtrodden Trump supporters’ regrets over voting for their guy
Raphael
Well Helen, if you really love Roberto, now it’s time to prove it, be a good wife and move to Mexico to be with him. He’s been with you for 20 years in the US, it’s only fair that you are the one to move now, right? With that said… Why on earth is Queerty publishing this? We want gay news, screw Helen and Roberto, they problably voted for trump because of his gay views as well.
Mo Bro
You are aware that Trump is the ONLY president who mentioned us at a national convention, yes? Or do you believe the hysterics who insist he wants to put us all in internment camps?
gjg64
Mo Bro…..do you mean the only REPUBLICAN candidate/president who’s mentioned us at a convention. I think you’ll find Bill Clinton started it in 1992…..then 96, then at every Democratic convention since then. We know who are real friends are and it’s not the GOP.
BigWill
@Mo Bro: Dearest Fake Biracial Bisexual…I mean Mo, how are you, you old darlin’? So today you’re calling yourself one of “us.” You’re a treasure, yes you are, you little ring-tail tooter!
DCguy
Oh Look Mo Bro (Or his other Screenames) gives the typical Troll fake argument. “Hey LGBTs, you should LOVE Trump….he MENTIONED you!!!”
Hmm, so lets see, Obama stopped his DOJ from defending DOMA, signed the repeal of DADT and publiclly supported marriage before the Supreme Court decision.
But you know, even though Trump said he would appoint judges to reverse the marriage decision and he picked one of the most notorious homophobic politicians in the naiton as his VP, we should love him because, you know, “He MENTIONED us”.
I guess now that Log Cabin is on life support there isn’t much else for you to do but whine on here huh Mo Bro?
Mo Bro
@gig64:
Neither Hillary Clinton nor Barack Obama mentioned us at their DNC conventions. I was watching.
If I’m wrong about that, I’d like to see the video.
Thanks
Bob LaBlah
Don’t forget, Mo Bro, you didnt see that nazi salute Laura Ingraham gave at the RNC convention either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63U3C3EcXY4
Ksb1978
“The good people would get to stay” Girl, you dumb.
Lindoro Almaviva
No pity
whatevz
stupid self-loathing Trump voters deserve all the misery they have coming
FnameLname
So you believed your husband was one of the “good” people who get to stay yet the article clearly states:
“Roberto first came to the U.S. illegally in 1998. It was during that trip that he met his wife and the two began a family. ”
She started a family with a man who was here illegally! He no longer fits under the category of “good” when he is not here legally. In his favor the United States should not have been playing slap and tickle all these years. Once they discovered he was here illegally in the year 2000 he should have been deported then until the proper documentation was in place. Why are all these people surprised that they are getting deported when they are here illegally? They keep saying that there loved ones never committed a crime and worked hard for their families yet they ignore the fact that they committed a crime by coming here illegally. What a slap in the face to all the people who went through the lengthy and expensive process to get here. Why should they spend thousands of dollars when others are just skipping that step and finding work immediately so they can send all their money back to their families in their home countries? Then they cry foul when the U.S. discovers the truth and wants them to abide by the law.
FnameLname
please forgive my error with the improper use of the world “there” which s/b “their” in the sentence:
They keep saying that there loved ones never committed…
Juanjo
Roberto is married to a US citizen and as such he is entitled to apply for and receive a green card. Just why that has not happened as yet is somewhat curious to me. I know it can take a few years for the paper processing but 16 years? But that is why they let him stay you silly git. It is commonly done in such cases where the person’s status can be regularized. The idea is to keep families together and allow the application process to be completed. But of course there are some total douche bags out there who immediately scream deport him! I guess you are one of those low life dreewbs.
DMRX
Juanjo: You missed a BIG fact. He originally came here illegally. If he had come in legally the first time, his anchor marriage would make a difference.
FnameLname
word not world can’t type today
mhoffman953
Good. The law applies to everyone. If he would’ve left the country when he was asked back in 2000 (twice they asked him but that was excluded from the article), he could’ve went back to Mexico, got his papers in order and applied for legal citizenship and he’d be here today.
Or as another poster above wrote, if his wife cares about him so much, she should go to Mexico with him.
Heywood Jablowme
It’s a very common belief among Americans that if a foreigner marries an American citizen, they automatically become an American citizen, or at least get on the very fast track to becoming one. That’s NOT how it works, not at all, but most people still believe this myth. Probably most GAY people believe this myth too, because this came up over and over and over during the years when same-sex marriage was being debated (so much that I gave up even trying to correct them!). That’s not how it works.
There are lots of places in Mexico that are prosperous magnets for the “ex-pat” crowd: San Miguel de Allende, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, and (yes) the Cancun area. So it’s not like Roberto is being sent to South Sudan. Roberto & Helen could definitely make a living in Mexico.
Juanjo
Amusing bit of nonsense. Let’s discuss the reality shall we? Since I am in the process of obtaining a green card for my husband I have a little familiarity with the process. If you are in the country and marry a citizen or if you do so outside the country, you are not subject to any quota which means you do go to the top of the line as far as quotas are concerned. But your application is date and time stamped and added to the pile. It gets processed eventually – we are going on two years.
If you are already in the country, the Immigration judge can allow you to stay but he is not required to do so. That is apparently what happened here initially. But you are correct, it is not automatic. There is an application and few other papers that need to be filled out. In addition there are police clearances, medical clearances, and some other red tape. Then you have the interview process. With luck the visa to enter the country is issued and off you go.
CanadianGuy62
Zero sympathy. Lie down with dogs (e.g. vote for Ass-hat) get up with fleas.
David Bolton
What would make this even better is if she got jail time and/or a fine for harboring someone illegal.
icntblvit
Then DEPORT her ass to Mexico
1EqualityUSA
“Um, sure.–so fun– The tip jugs read, “Help us pay for the wall.” Prepare yourself for that, lady. Oh, and cover your water at night. Haste lumbago.
jimontp
Another pitiful example of “low information” and gullible Trump voters. Did “poor Helen” realize that Trump’s repeated call for deporting all “illegal” immigrants meant HER HUSBAND? Really? Because he was a “good” person? How dumb is that? Trump wanted all 10-12 million deported. If she couldn’t figure that out, just too bad. Just like the poor TN and KY Trump voters who almost lost their healthcare if Trumpcare would have passed. As for why this appears in a Gay site, it won’t be long before the 20% or so of the more wealthy GLBT voters who fell for Trump’s tax cut promises, your reality check day is probably next.
1EqualityUSA
A way of purging future Democrats away from the fold. Somebody good at numbers must have inspired this action.
gjg64
I’d say this idiot is more of a Libertarian……A Libertarian is a Republican who needs an abortion, is gay, or, has an undocumented husband.
doug105
Or wants to smoke Pot, but we already know what the new Attorney Idiot thinks of that.
Mo Bro
@gig64:
Correction: A libertarian is a Republican who isn’t shackled by religious dogma, and believes the military is to protect its citizens, not be the world’s police.
@doug105:
Trump has clearly stated that cannabis laws are to be left up to the states, so it’s moot what Jeff Sessions thinks or doesn’t think on the subject (thankfully).
natekerchel
I agree with whatevz and others who say no sympathy. She was quite prepared to watch others be deported – in fact she voted for it in the full knowledge that she would be bringing misery to many other families if trump somehow got in. He – or in this case she – who sups with the devil should have a long spoon.
icntblvit
The tRump voters are as ignorant as their so-called president.
t
She helped pave that road. Unbelievably, now people are going to drive on it! Who would have thought that was the purpose of paving a road?
Realitycheck
Trump supporters are the stupidest beasts on the planet,
“we knew he lied but we thought he was going to stop once he got elected”,
Why ? Why would that psycho stop?
And lets see how long before our economy takes a huge hit downward thanks to the antitrade, protectionism thinking of these fringe extremists that surround t-Rump.
So Hellen, go sell whiny else where because no one cares about your self caused
predicament, or your lousy Roberto that could not find a smarter woman…..
And from what I hear the self hating Log Cabin is in the same exact predicament, well ladies next time around less rouge and more brain work…
You elected a xenophobic white supremacists president that cares zero for anyone but himself and see LGBT as the most expendable section of our society, so you morons what did you expect?
dvlaries
No offense, but I think wonkette did it better:
https://wonkette.com/614600/trump-voters-thought-all-the-bad-stuff-was-just-gonna-happen-to-other-people
Evji108
It would appear that being married to an American citizen would make her husband eligible for citizenship. However because he got arrested for being here illegally he lost the right to apply. Even if you marry an American you still have to follow the rules and go through a process to gain citizenship. If you eff up the process, you basically ruin your prospects.
Mo Bro
Bingo.
He blew his opportunity, and now he’s paying the price.
Billy Budd
The bitch thought that Trump would be nasty to others but not to herself. Now she is facing the consequences.
Jack Meoff
I am surprised we haven’t seen more stories like this by now. There must be a lot of Trump voters who are on the receiving end of his new policies and are now wondering why they voted for him in the first place. And despite the fact they they may be facing deportation or reduced medical they would probably still think that gay rights should be revoked and muslims should be banned.That is the irony of it.
o.codone
Snopes: “As of 2015, more than 2.5 million undocumented persons had been deported by immigration authorities since President Obama took office in 2009, a total which was statistically record-setting”. Did you progressives idiots miss this statistic? (Actually I think she voted for Trump to GET RID of the husband b/c she got some new Colombian dick she wanted to stay with). Hahaahhaaa.
dwes09
You continually show your disconnect with reality, as do the most of the regressive idiots. The progressive community did not give Obama a pass on his deportation record, but constantly criticized him for it. Much as we did over drone use and other things.
Unlike the right we base our responses to our leaders on reality, not on myth.
trusgold
Obamas holds the record for deportation. In the last 2 years of his administration illegals entering the US went from 1.5 million 15 years ago to 88,000. No one tells you that. The whole thing is a big farse
crowebobby
As a dancer, I lived in three different European countries for years with and without Resident Permits — not having them was the only crime I ever committed, and being an American, as well as a dancer, made it easy to get work permits. They have very loose regulations concerning what they call “artists”; you even apply for your permits in a different building than regular “workers.” But in reality I was no different than Helen Beristain’s husband. Yet I don’t consider myself worthy of all the venom being spewed at this guy and I doubt very much that any of you would have the same attitude toward me if you met me in a bar and heard my story. In fact, I’m quite sure most of you would consider it all an enviable adventure. But then we’re held to a different standard because we’re special, right?
CanadianGuy62
You would be worthy of the venom had your spouse voted for someone (that’s the key to this whole story and the comments full of “venom”) who promised to deport people who were in the country illegally and then expressed shock upon finding out that his/her illegal spouse was being deported. It is sheer stupidity to expect to be exempt.
OrchidIslander
Your projection of your life experiences onto the comments is not exactly accurate. Most of the ire here is directed towards a hypocritical and clearly clueless person who helped to enable the doing unto others, but who is ridiculously shocked that the orange megalomaniac considers her life partner to be an “other” as well.
Heywood Jablowme
Yes, as far as it goes, but that’s a false equivalency.
I recall you’ve told us you are 80 (?) years old, right? Did you vote for Reagan, Nixon, etc and brag about doing that? I doubt you did, you don’t seem like the type. Although even that’s not exactly the same thing – Reagan was in a way very pro-immigrant (the 1986 amnesty!), and Nixon with his creating the EPA and his lefty ideas of “minimum guaranteed income” would be considered a RINO today, and practically a Bolshevik.
Also, it’s important to note that you HAD official work permits but Roberto doesn’t. Anyway the “venom” here is mostly directed not at Roberto (who we don’t meet in the article) but at Helen, because she voted for Orange Julius Caesar.
Captain Obvious
I guess this bitch just met a bigger bitch named Karma.
crowebobby
CanadianGuy62 and OrchidIslander. You’re both right. I agree completely with that part of the story. I have no sympathy for anyone who voted for Trump for any reason. I’m afraid I let my annoyance with the people who have an uncompromising “He no longer fits under the category of ‘good’ when he is not here legally.” attitude high jack my reading of the rest of the article.
My2Cents
This once again falls under the heading of “I knew people would suffer under Trump, I just thought it would be other people.” You will hear many variations of this theme in the next few years and if you listen closely you might hear me laughing at them.
DCguy
YES!!!! The Trump Voter mantra “I know he would f*uck over people, I just thought it would be other people”
radiooutmike
It isn’t difficult for me to feel empathy for this woman and her family.
Unfortunately, it also is not very difficult for my frustration meter to hit astronomical levels. I’ve moved past schadenfreude.
He told you what he was going to do! This whole “I did not think that’d apply to me.” line is ridiculous. It ranks right up there with the people who liked the ACA but hate Obamacare.
trusgold
I HAVE ZERO PITY FOR HER…You hired the dick now suck it bitch!