Happy Easter

Let me take this opportunity to greet each and every one of you a blessed and renewed Easter Sunday. On this triumphant day of Christendom, our faith reminds us that love prevails over sin and death and that it is by and through the Resurrection that Jesus Christ is revealed not as an ordinary religious leader or one among many revolutionary historical figures, but as in the words of the Roman centurion at the cross, He is truly the Son of God. May the peace of the risen Christ be in your hearts and dwell in your families and loved ones.

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The story of Easter reminds me of one client whose immigration journey was one of hope, love, and redemption. It was one of those cases I handled when each time we went to immigration court, I was always apprehensive that he might be committed to a federal detention facility and not come back to his family.

Jessie obtained his permanent legal residency through marriage to a US citizen. He had two children with his wife and together they planned out what they thought to be a blissful family life. One day, Jessie was informed by his employer that he was one of the employees whose contract will not be renewed because of a company financial restructuring. This sudden unemployment created a strain to the couple’s relationship such that Jessie’s wife was left as the sole breadwinner for the family.

His inability to find a job and the financial burden on his family left Jessie depressed and he soon started to use drugs and alcohol. His substance abuse created more problems for him when one day, he was apprehended by the police due to use and possession of heroin. He was sent to jail and was later tried to be deported. Worse of all, his wife filed for divorce and left him to take care of their children, one of whom had a developmental disability.

But he never lost hope. His predicament opened his eyes that his love for his children should take precedence over his personal wants and that their sake is worth fighting for. He began to care more about his case by actively participating in gathering documents and testimonies. We hired a criminal defense attorney to work on getting his state drug convictions successfully reversed. We were able to cancel his deportation due to extreme hardship and humanitarian consideration by reason of his child’s disability. Though it was a long and hard-fought battle, he was able to retain his greencard and remained in the US. His experience made him a changed and better man.

Hope, love, and grace to rise above defeat made Jessie’s life an Easter story to tell. Each of us has one. What’s yours?