My Neighbor Hector
Theology Intern Ed White shares Hector's story, one that inspires him to seek justice for immigrants.
The sonnet at the base of the Mother of Exiles reads:
“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Emma Lazarus
For many, the words inscribed at Lady Liberty represent a false hope to migrants. However, there are victories from time to time that encourage us to keep pushing forward.
I will take this opportunity to lift up a friend of mine and his accomplishments: Spc. Hector Barajas of the 82nd Airborne. Hector was born in Fresnillo, Zacatecas in 1977. When Hector was just 7 years old, he and his family made their way to Gardena, California, just outside of Compton. It was there that he grew up. Hector, just like his immediate family, was undocumented. And just like all immigrants in the US, he made a life for himself. As part of his new life, he attended school, gave himself scraped knees, suffered things way beyond his control, endured racism and xenophobia, and he established his identity as an American.
Hector enlisted in the US Army immediately after graduating from High School. He gave six years of his life to the Army, before he was honorably discharged in 2001. After returning to the United States, Hector believed that he was a citizen. But due to an accident with a firearm, in which no one was hurt, he was arrested in 2002 and imprisoned for 2 years. After completing his sentence, he was deported to his country of birth, Mexico. Hector Barajas had to adjust to life away from his daughter, away from his family, and in a country that was no longer his home. In 2013, Hector’s fighting spirit gave him the strength to create the Deported Veterans Support House (DVSH) in Tijuana, Baja California.
The DVSH helps connect US veterans who are deported to over 20 different countries with the services they need to return to the country they loved and served. Many of these deported veterans, share Hector’s story of being undocumented, enlisting, serving, and making a mistake upon returning to the states. But what sets Hector apart is that he made a way where there was none. After 14 years of living in Tijuana, Hector became a US citizen. His work with the DVSH has opened the “golden door” previously closed to him and many other deported veterans. His victory has paved the way for other deported veterans returning home. Today, Hector continues to advocate on behalf of deported veterans by giving his time and soul to leading the DVSH out of Tijuana.
In late November, Hector was hospitalized after suffering a stroke. I ask that you say a prayer for Hector and his family in this time of need. He is a good man doing amazing work and his example and determination has inspired me to keep fighting for our neighbors.
Do you know the stories and realities of your immigrant neighbors? How can we as a church be a space where our migration stories are shared and respected?
