A father whose son was killed by an unlicensed, illegal immigrant who had been shielded from deportation by “Temporary Protected Status” is offering a striking response to an amnesty group’s fundraising appeal this week.
In an email exchange obtained by Breitbart News, Don Rosenberg — whose 25-year-old son Drew was killed in 2010 — answers a fundraising email from the National Immigration Law Center arguing the importance of implementing President Obama’s stalled executive amnesty programs.
NILC’s fundraising email offers the story of “Gloria” a single mom from Mexico who has been living in Los Angeles illegally for over 15 years and who, until recently, had been driving without a driver’s license.
“Gloria knows that NILC is at the forefront of advocacy and policy efforts to secure driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants. So she beamed as she showed me her new California driver’s license. She told me that until she received her license she lived in constant fear that the police would stop her as she drove to work or took her son to school,” the fundraising appeal, written by NILC executive director Marielena Hincapié, reads.
The letter claims that “Gloria” remains “frightened” that she may be separated from her son because she is in the country illegally. It adds that “Gloria’s” story is the reason NILC activists are determined to defend Obama’s executive amnesty programs at the Supreme Court.
Several days after the NILC email landed in Don Rosenberg’s inbox, he responded to several staffers at the NILC with his family’s own illegal immigration story.
“I just read your poignant story about Gloria, her son, and her yearning to be fully free. I have a story for you as well about Roberto,” his letter begins.
Rosenberg recalled how Roberto Galo arrived in the U.S. illegally from Honduras in 1999 living in Florida, Virginia, and eventually San Francisco. In 2000 he qualified for Temporary Protective Status as a result of events in his home country.
“That not only allowed him to legally work but he could apply for a driver’s license,” Rosenberg noted.
Galo, however, failed three driving tests but continued to drive anyway.
In June 2010 Galo had his car impounded after he was caught driving the wrong way on a one way street without a license or insurance. Rosenberg recalled how the district attorney did not bring charges against Galo for driving without a license or insurance and a friend was able to get Galo’s car out of impound.
Months later, on November 16, 2010 Galo ran over Rosenberg’s son multiple times, killing the 25-year-old law student.
My son was coming home from law school when Roberto Galo made a last second left hand turn trying to beat a light. It was rush hour and they were both going slowly but in the collision my son Drew flew over the top of his car. Had Galo stopped Drew would have walked away with a few scratches and bruises. Trying to escape Galo accelerated driving over Drew’s body. His helmet fell off and lodged under Galo’s tire stopping his forward progress so he backed up running over Drew a second time. He then went forward trying to flee driving over him a third time. A very brave man had gotten out of his car and stood in front of Galo’s trying to stop him. Unfortunately Galo stopped with his tire on my son’s abdomen and five men had to lift the car off his body.
Rosenberg pointed out that his story is sadly not uncommon.
“Drew was just one of the 5,000 or so killed by people just like Gloria in 2010. The number killed in the past 30 years is somewhere between 60,000 and 100,000,” he wrote, going on to request that the NILC think about those who “have been separated forever from loved ones.”
Rosenberg told Breitbart News that he did not receive a response from any of the NILC staffers to who he sent his email. NILC spokesperson Adela de la Torre thanked Breitbart for its inquiry about the exchange noted that since she is out of the office she “won’t be able to follow up on this particular email exchange.”
Read the exchange:
Dear Don,
Five million people and their families can stay together if we can successfully defend in the Supreme Court President Obama’s deferred action policies shielding them from deportation.
With a number that big, we can lose sight of the truly high stakes for specific families. I was reminded of this just a few days ago when I met Gloria, a single working mom, at a birthday party. I’m sharing her story in the hope that you will make a contribution to NILC today and help us fight for Gloria.
Gloria came to the U.S. from Mexico over 15 years ago and has been living in the Los Angeles area since then. She works in a factory and has a 14-year-old son who is a U.S. citizen. Gloria knows that NILC is at the forefront of advocacy and policy efforts to secure driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants. So she beamed as she showed me her new California driver’s license. She told me that until she received her license she lived in constant fear that the police would stop her as she drove to work or took her son to school.
With a driver’s license, Gloria now feels safer. Equally important, Gloria finally feels that she belongs here.
But Gloria still yearns to be fully free. She thought that once she got her driver’s license, she and her son would take road trips. Although she now feels more secure driving to her job and her son’s school, she’s still afraid to drive or travel anywhere else. She knows that until she has authorization to live and work in the U.S., she could be deported and separated from her son. She’s still frightened.
That’s why it’s so important to defend the president’s deferred action programs. They will allow immigrants like Gloria to continue to work and raise their children in the U.S., the country they consider home. That’s why we need your support.
It’s people like Gloria and her son that motivate all of us at NILC to work as hard as we can to make sure they’re not torn apart. We’re leading the fight to the Supreme Court to defend deferred action programs that will keep families like this together. We continue to provide critical legal guidance to advocates across country working to pass laws providing driver’s licenses to immigrants like Gloria, so they can feel her sense of safety and belonging. We’re also advancing other policies that restore a sense of dignity and respect for people like Gloria and her son. This includes expanding their access to quality health care they can afford, educational and employment opportunities so they can fulfill their full potential, and freedom from exploitation on the job.
Will you take a moment to show your support for Gloria and her son by making a contribution to NILC?
As I promised Gloria, you have my commitment that everyone at NILC will do everything we can to defend families like hers. But we need your help. I hope you’ll show your support today.
Sincerely,
Marielena
P.S. Now through December 31, two generous NILC donors will match your contribution dollar for dollar. I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to double the impact of your gift.
Dear Ms. Hincapié,
I just read your poignant story about Gloria, her son, and her yearning to be fully free. I have a story for you as well about Roberto.
Roberto came to the US from Honduras in 1999. He lived in Florida and Virginia for a brief time but settled in San Francisco. A tragic hurricane in Honduras in 2000 allowed Roberto to qualify for Temporary Protective Status. That not only allowed him to legally work but he could apply for a driver’s license.
He failed his test the first time he took it but because he needed to get to work he continued to drive. He took his test a second time and failed again but still continued to drive. In June 2010 he was caught driving the wrong way on a one way street and of course had no license or insurance. Because he couldn’t get a licensed driver to pick up his car it was impounded. He didn’t have to pay hundreds or even over a thousand dollars to get his car back after the 30 day impoundment because the next day he got his car back when a friend took title to the car and gave it back to him. The San Francisco DA’s office also dropped the driving without a license and no insurance charges.
He tried a third time to get his driver’s license but failed once again. He continued to drive until November 16, 2010 when he ran over and killed my son. My son was coming home from law school when Roberto Galo made a last second left hand turn trying to beat a light. It was rush hour and they were both going slowly but in the collision my son Drew flew over the top of his car. Had Galo stopped Drew would have walked away with a few scratches and bruises. Trying to escape Galo accelerated driving over Drew’s body. His helmet fell off and lodged under Galo’s tire stopping his forward progress so he backed up running over Drew a second time. He then went forward trying to flee driving over him a third time. A very brave man had gotten out of his car and stood in front of Galo’s trying to stop him. Unfortunately Galo stopped with his tire on my son’s abdomen and five men had to lift the car off his body.
Drew was just one of the 5,000 or so killed by people just like Gloria in 2010. The number killed in the past 30 years is somewhere between 60,000 and 100,000.
So while all of you at NILC are so motivated to work as hard as you can to make sure people like Gloria and her son are not separated can you stop and think for just a second about those of us whose families have been separated forever from loved ones.
Sincerely,
Don Rosenberg
I shared Roberto’s story in the hope that you will make a contribution to The Remembrance Project an organization that helps families who have lost a loved one due to illegal immigration
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