12-Year-Old Begs Judge Not To Deport His Father [Photo]

Maximino Hoz and his family first arrived to the United States from Mexico in 1993. Hoz was detained by immigration officers 11 months ago and sent to Broward Detention Center in Florida. As Hoz presented his case to ask for relief from deportation, his children’s teachers, friends, and therapists all said his family would suffer if he were sent back to Mexico.

The most compelling testimony, however, came from Hoz’s US-born son, Anthony.

The 12-year-old wrote to Judge Rex Ford:

“Dear Rex Ford, please I beg you with all my heart to leave my dad with us Because we need him so he can pay the bills of the house, and we love him so much. Me and my brothers are so sad because we don’t have my dad with us. We beg you not to send my dad to Mexico, Because we don’t want him to be killed over in Mexico. Please I beg you with all my heart to leave my dad with us and I promise you I will be a good student and I will be somebody in life to help this country. I thank you for reading this letter.”

Unfortunately for Hoz, Judge Ford has a history of tough rulings. According to DreamACTIVIST’s Facebook page, he is ranked the fourth worst immigration judge in the country. He is also the only immigration judge at the detention center.

Ford ordered a Chinese woman to be deported after she answered questions before the court interpreter had translated them.

He said, “The respondent, after proper notice, has failed to appear.” The woman, Xiu Ping Jiang, was standing right in front of him.

Jiang had no criminal record and was seeking asylum in the US after being forcibly sterilized in China when she was 20 years old.

Unlike Jiang, however, Hoz has a criminal record including two DUIs and driving without a license. His lawyer, Sammy Aliseris, said that would make his case harder to win.

“Has he done anything that bad? I don’t think so, but that’s my opinion,” Aliseris said. “It’s sad. I mean it’s the way the immigration laws are written. These laws are written really tough.”

Maximino Hoz’s wife, Reyna, said her husband, who works as a contractor, is a hardworking man. According to a teacher and a therapist, since Hoz has been detained, his five children have struggled with depression, and the youngest has seen his school performance suffer. Two of the children have told their mother they were contemplating suicide.

Do you think Maximino Hoz should be allowed to stay in the country?