In These Times - When federal immigration agents thread through her Chicago neighborhood and circle above her home in a helicopter, Araceli hides with her husband. ?“You hear the whistles,” she says through an interpreter. ?“You hear the people yelling, ?‘Don’t go out! Stay inside! There’s immigration here!’ ”
Sometimes they are forced to hide for days.
“It’s alarming, it’s not normal, it’s like being in a crisis,” explains Araceli, who is 55 and originally from Mexico City, though she has lived in Chicago for 30 years. That means Araceli often misses work as an apartment cleaner and her husband misses work in construction.
When it’s not safe to leave, she and her husband rely on their two adult children to bring them food. And then, when missed work means missed pay, they rely on their children to help with the rent.
“What harm have we caused in this country?” asks Araceli, who is using a pseudonym to protect her safety, tears streaming down her face. ?“Do we really deserve this?”
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