chapter
28
I had long ago given up dreams of doing things the right way, of following the rules to gain citizenship. It was too risky. What if they denied me? What would happen to my children? I’d adopted the philosophy of it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission, and settled into my familiar existence. That was where I’d be until I left this earth. Though I didn’t regularly attend church now because I worked on Sundays, my Catholic upbringing was deep-rooted—but I’ll admit, when I looked at my struggles, sometimes it was hard to remain faithful.
Julio would spend his evenings reading from our Bible, verses about faith. He always believed that one day we would be legitimate U.S. citizens. I didn’t see how that would ever happen, but I was glad my husband had been faithful until the day he died. It had given him something to hold on to.
“Hey. My vacuum isn’t picking up good,” Rosa said, sticking her head into the room and interrupting my thoughts. “Let me see yours really quick. What’s that?” she asked, looking over my shoulder at the book that I’d just set down.
“It’s a Bible,” I said, turning it to face her.
“Ewww, that thing looks like it’s five hundred years old. Did somebody leave it here?”
“Yeah, the other day when I was cleaning up, one of the people that was staying in this room asked me about it.”
“Oh. Take it to Lost and Found,” Rose said as she wrapped the cord up from my vacuum. “Though I doubt anyone would be coming in search of that.”
“I’ll take it to Lost and Found on my way out. Right now I just need to hurry and finish because my kids are downstairs waiting.”
“Okay. I’ll go do my rooms, then I’ll bring the vacuum back.”
“I told Sergio I’d do two floors, so after I finish here, I’ll do the fourth-floor even rooms, then I’ve got to go.”
“Lucky you. Have fun with the babies today,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Rosa headed toward the door. “Kiss them for . . .” Her words trailed off, and I turned to see what had made her stop talking mid-sentence. Standing in the door were Sergio and five official-looking men.
“Hi, Mr. Baptiste,” Rosa said. “I . . . I was just coming to use Anna’s vacuum.”
He didn’t say a word to her as she hurried around him.
“I’m almost done on this floor,” I said, looking at Sergio and trying to decipher the nervous expression on his face. My eyes darted between him and the group of men, all of whom wore navy-blue windbreakers. And then I saw the words written on their jackets and my heart sank. ICE. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Uh, Anna, I’m sorry, but you need to come with us,” Sergio said. He spoke in his supervisor tone, and that, in and of itself, frightened me.
“Why? What’s going on?” My eyes continued doing that dance between them all. “I mean, I’m almost finished, but I have work to do if I’m going to complete the rooms in time for the conference. People will need to check in,” I said, moving to finish making the bed. I guess I was thinking if I could just get back to work, I could make the sight before me go away.
“Ma’am. That wasn’t a request.” The ICE agent who spoke stepped around Sergio. His fiery red hair made him look like the devil.
The devil had come to destroy my life.
“Are you Anna Rodríguez?” he asked.
I contemplated feigning ignorance, breaking out in Spanish and pretending I couldn’t understand English. But since I’d already opened my big mouth . . .
“Yes, I-I’m Anna,” I said, stammering my words out.
The devil reached down, took my arms, and put them behind my back, turning me around in the process. “Anna Rodríguez, you are under arrest for illegal entry into the United States, illegal use of a Social Security number, and felony criminal impersonation. Anything you say can be used against you in subsequent proceedings. You have the right to an attorney at no cost to the government.”
“What? What’s going on?” I asked. My panicked eyes turned to Sergio. “Mr. Baptiste?”
“I’m so sorry,” Sergio said. “I-I had no idea. They just showed up here . . . claimed an anonymous call tipped them off . . . I didn’t know . . .”
An anonymous tip. Valencia had called in sick. She had to know they’d call me in. She’d made a comment a year ago, inquiring if I was undocumented. When I didn’t answer, I could tell she was suspicious. Was this her payback for me not covering for her smoking on the job?
“Sergio, no, no. Why is this happening?” I cried.
Another one of the ICE agents, this one a gray-haired, spotty-faced man, said, “Get her out, guys.”
“Must you do that?” Sergio said, his voice filled with panic. “We have guests.”
I didn’t know if he was more concerned about my well-being or how this looked for the hotel. It didn’t matter. I just needed to convince him not to let me go.
“Sergio, tell them I’m a good worker. Please tell them they don’t need to do this!”
“Sir,” Sergio said toward the devil. “She’s no threat! Please. Just allow her to walk with you without the handcuffs.”
None of the ICE agents said a word as they led me out of the room, ignoring both Sergio’s and my pleas.
I was mortified. I had worked here for so long and lived in fear of this day. “No, no. Please don’t do this,” I cried.
But they weren’t moved by my words. They pushed me out of the door, toward the elevator. Tears started streaming down my face.
“My children,” I said. “My children are downstairs.”
Rosa came running down the hall just as the elevator doors opened. “Anna, what’s going on?”
“Rosa, get my kids,” I cried as the man pushed me into the elevator. They all ignored my pleas. I only stopped when the elevator doors opened downstairs and I saw my children staring right at me.
Miguel was the first to spot me. “Mama!” he yelled, jumping up and running toward me.
Alejandro and Maria noticed and followed. The two of them immediately threw their arms around my waist as Miguel shouted, “Mama, what’s happening? Why do they have you in handcuffs? Are you going to jail?”
“Nooooo,” Alejandro cried.
“Mommy, what’s happening?” Maria said.
With each outburst my heart broke a little more. Their tears made mine flow harder.
“Get the kids out of the way,” the devil ICE agent said.
Sergio and Rosa, who had bolted from the stairwell, tried to pull my kids away.
“It’s okay,” I said to them. “Mommy is okay. Just go with Miss Rosa.”
The officer snatched my arm to lead me away.
“Can I comfort my kids?” I yelled.
My raised voice frightened my kids even more because Alejandro started panting, the first sign of the asthma attacks that regularly plagued him.
I leaned closer, adjusting my arms behind my back so they didn’t see my discomfort. I tried to push back my fear as I said, “Mommy needs you guys to go with Miss Rosa and listen to her until I come back, okay?” I looked directly at Alejandro. “And I need you to stay calm so your asthma doesn’t flare up. Can you do that for Mommy?”
His chest heaved, but slowed just a bit as he nodded.
“Why are they taking you to jail?” Miguel asked.
The ICE agent lost patience. He grabbed me and all but dragged me out. As Rosa and Sergio fought to contain my crying kids, as patrons in the lobby stared in horror, they dragged me out like I was a wanted murderer.
I knew this day would haunt my nightmares for the rest of my life.