NASSAU COUNTY, N.Y. — A journey from the bustling corridors of a New York public high school led to the serene landscapes of San Marcos, Guatemala.
Dr. Shawn Wightman, Superintendent of Roosevelt Schools, personally funded a trip from Nassau County, New York, to San Marcos, Guatemala, with a heartfelt mission for one of his students.
Reflecting on Alvaro Velasquez’s situation, Wightman expressed his emotional turmoil, saying, “It’s tough as a superintendent and a father to imagine such an ordeal happening to my own children.”
Back in May, just weeks shy of his high school graduation, Velasquez was unexpectedly detained by ICE, preventing him from attending his much-anticipated graduation ceremony.
“He wasn’t involved in any criminal activities and had no record. That was a wake-up call for everyone about the gravity of the situation,” Wightman noted.
Velasquez found himself in a Texas detention center, isolated for months, before ultimately choosing to self-deport to Guatemala.
In September, Wightman visited the detention facility because he felt Velasquez deserved his cap, gown and diploma. But he was turned away.
“A very stark reality for me going in there, because there was a barrier,” Wightman said.
He knew he needed to try again.
After refusing to give up, Wightman took two plane rides and a five-and-a-half-hour car trip through the foothills of Guatemala, where he was finally reunited with Velasquez and his family.
“This is amazing for me. He helped me. And he supported me, for all this time,” Velasquez said.
“When he got detained, it really upset a lot of us,” Wightman said.
In Roosevelt, where the student population is 65% Latino and Hispanic, it was only the beginning.
Since Velasquez was detained, three other students in Roosevelt have had their lives upended by ICE.
One was detained, another is likely to be deported, and a third, whose father was detained, now has to work to support the family.
Velasquez came to the U.S. alone when he was only 16 and has been through so much.
“I’m not feeling I’m alone. I know I have him and my family,” Velasquez said.
He also has his diploma from a man who taught him not to abandon people you care about.
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