Enrique Castillejos and his wife stopped at a Winchell's Donut House. It was part of their after-church routine on Friday nights. That evening's sermon had been about finding peace in God in turbulent times, and they felt it spoke directly to them. Enrique, 63, and his wife, Maria Elena Hernandez, 55, were undocumented immigrants. Like millions of others in Southern California, they had been looking over their shoulders as federal agents conducted immigration sweeps.
This is not an isolated case, because like this marriage, in which one spouse is undocumented and the other is a U.S. citizen, there are 1.4 million mixed-nationality couples who live in fear of being separated. Separation, however, has become a lesser evil in many cases, given the treatment received by those who end up in ICE custody. Many couples prefer to continue their relationship long-distance rather than enter the uncertain process of detention and deportation.
DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country. Any illegal alien who is a DACA recipient may be subject to arrest and deportation for a number of reasons including if they've committed a crime.
