Fate of NC Immigrant Could Sway Presidential Election

June 8th, 2012    Posted in Immigration News

NORTH CAROLINA – Orfilia Sagastume-Reyes, a Thomasville resident facing possible deportation to Guatemala, wishes he could have asked Vice President Joe Biden for help when he was in Winston-Salem on Wednesday.

“I would ask that he would live up to the promises (the Obama administration) made. They said that they would do immigration reform. I would ask it not only for me, but also for millions of people like me, who are not criminals — and that they have a little compassion for us, that they put themselves in our shoes,” said Reyes in Spanish.

Sagastume-Reyes, who has been in the U.S. for 22 years, reported to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Charlotte on Thursday to discuss her deportation case. She entered the country legally with a visa, but it has since expired. Sagastume-Reyes is afraid to return to Guatemala, where threats had been made over her father’s involvement in government.

Sagastume-Reyes attempted to gain legal status, but her attempts at seeking asylum have failed. Her case represents a major concern of voters over the presidential race and highlights the importance of the Hispanic vote, especially in North Carolina.

While Hispanics voted 67 percent in favor of Barack Obama, according to exit polls, his administration’s record number of deportations has left many Hispanics concerned.

Given that Obama only won North Carolina in 2008 by a thin margin, and that the number over Hispanic voters has increased by 35 percent to nearly 92,000 since then, Obama and Romney must take a strong stance on immigration in order to gain the support of Hispanic voters.

If you need help with filing for legal status or any other immigration matter, turn to a North Carolina immigration lawyer for help. Your immigration attorney in North Carolina will see to it your case ends favorably.