OK, everyone who sees immigration in black and white, just stop reading right now. For everyone else, here's a small story from inside The Bee's A section this weekend that made me run for my scissors so I could clip it out. It should provide a Sunday sermon illustration for all the preachers out there and a character lesson for all the teachers and parents. File this under "unselfishness" and "compassion." Get your hankies out.
Border crosser comforts 9-year-old, awaits aid for his mother in fatal crash.
Associated Press
PHOENIX -- A 9-year-old boy looking for help after his mother crashed their van in the southern Arizona desert was rescued by a man entering the U.S. illegally, who stayed with him until help arrived the next day, an official said.
The 45-year-old woman, who eventually died while awaiting help, had been driving on a U.S. Forest Service road in a remote area just north of the Mexican border when she lost control of her van on a curve on Thanksgiving Day, Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada said.
The van vaulted into a canyon and landed 300 feet from the road, he said. The woman, from Rimrock, north of Phoenix, survived the impact but was pinned inside, Estrada said.
Her son, unhurt but disoriented, crawled out to get help and was found about two hours later by Jesus Manuel Cordova, 26, of Magdalena de Kino in the northern Mexican state of Sonora. Unable to pull the mother out, he comforted the boy while they waited for help.
The woman died a short time later.
"He stayed with him, told him that everything was going to be all right," Estrada said.
As temperatures dropped, Cordova gave him a jacket, built a bonfire and stayed with him until about 8 a.m. Friday, when hunters passed by and called authorities, Estrada said. The boy was flown to University Medical Center in Tucson as a precaution but appeared unhurt.
"We suspect that they communicated somehow, but we don't know if he knows Spanish or if the gentleman knew English," Estrada said of the boy.
"For a 9-year-old it has to be completely traumatic, being out there alone with his mother dead," Estrada said. "Fortunately for the kid, [Cordova] was there. That was his angel."
Cordova was taken into custody by Border Patrol agents, who were the first to respond to the call for help.
He had been trying to walk into the U.S. when he came across the boy.
The boy and his mother were in the area camping, Estrada said.
The woman's husband, the boy's father, had died only two months ago. The names of the woman and her son were not being released until relatives were notified.
Cordova likely saved the boy, Estrada said, and his actions should remind people not to quickly characterize illegal immigrants as criminals.
"They do get demonized for a lot of reasons, and they do a lot of good. Obviously this is one example of what an individual can do," he said.
I'd respond with the endless string of news stories about illegal aliens committing crimes, but I'd rather not play that game.
Instead, I'll point to those sources that are using this story as a way to support massive illegal activity, something that indicates massive government corruption. Perhaps the SacBee should consider opposing those things rather than enabling them.
People crossing into the U.S. are compassionate people just like anyone else. It is awesome that he did that knowing that he was going to be caught and not allowed to continue on his journey. There are some people that may have left the boy unattended so thumbs up to this man.
I grew up in Southern California, My parents came here from Chicago and Wisconsin before I was born.
When I was old enough I traveled as much as I possibly could inside the U.S. I saw the coolest potpurri of people ever. My favorite was listening to people that came here from other other countries. Russian cab drivers, Students from Europe studying abroad.
Folks from Hong Kong. Lots of Filipino people in Alaska. Southern people are a trip. I finally made it out to Chicago where my dad came from and got to see a little of my heritage. I am mostly Polish so seeing a section of town that was devoted to polish immigrants...really neat. Finding a buffet style restraunt with latkes? Amazing.
My point is we are all immigrants. The story I see play out and is still playing out is simple enough. Immigrants come over in one form or another. They stick together help each other and use all the survival skills that worked so well where they came from. Usually after three generations there is a lot of assimilation into "american culture" which is simply a hodge podge of every other immigrant group that came before. It has worked out pretty well for the last 200+ years. While other countries still fight over differences that are barely tangible amongst themselves we manage to hold it together.
It had been raining for two days in San Diego around Thanksgiving in the 80's when our doorbell rang at 9pm.There stood a soaked illegal alien,muddy with no shoes shivering.My dad brought him in and he got cleaned up and we gave him dry clothes and something to eat.After a while the man said he did not want to back out into the weather and would we call the Border Patrol to come and get him to take him home.We did as he asked.I learned a lot from my dad that night.Thought you might like another heartwarming illegal alien holiday story.