HM did not want to have to face another employer for that reason. He says that his visa had allowed him to work when he first entered the country, but his lack of knowledge about immigration procedures resulted in his falling out of status. Mr. HM, now very remorseful says he wished there had been someone there to counsel and tell him what steps to take to safeguard the immigration status of his family ten years ago. He had not a clue when he first entered the U.S. because once again as already noted, he had not predicted any problems. He had concentrated on getting their children enrolled in a school and securing a job so that he could do what every parent does; take care of his or her family. With Mr. HM now unemployed, the family income was significantly reduced as Mrs. HM remained the only breadwinner in the home, but they stuck together and remained strong for each other. The couple’s oldest daughter, a 21 year old honor student had to drop out of college when her parents could not afford to pay for her tuition. After some encouragement from her parents, she opted to join the military and serve a country she truly loves. She is currently stationed in England and has become an important anchor for her family during the crisis and a major source of financial assistance. After graduating from high school, the couple’s second daughter also sought employment in order to assist the family financially. Meanwhile, Mrs. HM‘s position with K-Mart was terminated during the K-Mart - Sears, Roebuck & Co. merger. Fortunately, she was retained as an employee with Sears and also maintained a managerial position which she held for almost six years. Holding back her tears, Mrs. HM recalls some of her worst experiences which began nearly two years ago. It was a typical morning at Sears with very few customers and business as usual when a group of people who looked like shoppers walked in. The only thing that raised any suspicion was the fact that they were not looking
at merchandise. Someone had pointed them to where Mrs. HM was busy working. They went directly to her and without making a fuss or drawing any unnecessary attention, they asked her to follow them. But no sooner had they reached the outside of the premises than they handcuffed and chained her legs. She had not committed a crime but it didn’t take her too long to realize who they were and what was happening. As she tells her story, she says it all happened so quickly it almost seemed like a dream. In a matter of minutes, she was shoved into a car which took her to a cell in Eagle River. The immigration officers went through her purse and found her husband’s identification card, and that’s how they discovered she was married. She was generally not accustomed to carrying her husband’s identification card, but on that particular day she happened to have had it in her possession. As if things were not bad enough, an immigration officer called Mr. HM and told him about his wife’s fate, and also asked him to turn himself in if he was in the same immigration status as his wife. Following Mrs. HM’s arrest, an immigration officer took fingerprints as well mug shots of the now terrified woman who recollects that she felt like a “criminal” She says that she was put in the same room with people who had committed much worse crimes. Her legs were tied to six other people’s legs using a big chain and they were all made to walk together. Mrs. HM says that some of the things she endured during her arrest were unfathomable to her; she was stripped naked and searched from head to toe. Mrs. HM says she felt like an animal being led into a slaughter house; “it was very humiliating”, an ordeal she says she wishes no mother ever has to go through. Mrs. HM’s case went before a judge who informed her that her bail would be set at $6000. She needed to come up with the money or risk staying in jail indefinitely. She became worried about her children since her husband had also been summoned to the immigration