Guatemalan Immigrants Face Tough Questions About Children
A day after federal agents arrest 100 people at a poultry plant on immigration charges, the daunting task begins of dealing with the workers cases and families.
The investigation into Pilgrim's Pride is part of a five state round up of workers charged with using fake documents to get jobs. Many Guatemalan families went to Latin America Consulting searching for answers. One of the hardest questions is what happens to the kids caught in this large federal raid of illegal workers. It's believed that many of the school-aged children of these workers attended Eastside Elementary School. The principal told us 263 Spanish speaking children are enrolled here. Only five were absent today and all of those were in kindergarten.
Meanwhile, several families crammed into Latin America Consulting. Federal agents arrested 24 year old Hilda Lopez... and released her on her own recognizance. But she is wearing an electronic ankle bracelet, just like this man who also was arrested.
Lopez and her husband both worked at Pilgrim's Pride. She told us through an interpreter she's been here about four years. She says she bought fake papers from a guy and claimed to be Maria Delgado. She says her husband is also here illegally. But her son Junior was born here in Chattanooga.
Through a translator, Lopez told us, "I just have to wait, what they tell me in court." We asked, "What happens. Is she worried about what is going to happen to her little boy?" Lopez answered, "Si." "I don't know what I'm going to do with my kid."
Lopez did say if she gets deported, Junior will go back to Guatemala with her instead of staying here in Chattanooga with her brother or husband.
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