LatinaLista — By the time a reader brought the story of Jesus Manuel Cordova, a Mexican national who was crossing the Arizona border illegally and found and cared for a 9-year-old boy involved in a car accident that killed his mother on Thanksgiving Day, to my attention, there had already been over 250 news outlets from around the world that had picked up the miraculous report.
It’s a story that exemplifies the most basic reason for why life exists on earth — to be there for one another, citizenship status notwithstanding.
That it happened on Thanksgiving Day means that there is a greater message in this simple act of kindness.
According to the news reports, a 45-year-old mother decided she and her 9-year-old son would spend Thanksgiving camping in some remote campground in southern Arizona, just a few miles north of the Arizona-Mexican border. It would just be the two of them spending time with one another and probably still mourning the loss of the husband/father who died only two months ago.
Forest officials report that the woman was driving along a remote stretch of a U.S. Forest Service road when she lost control of her van on a curve and ended up flying over the edge of the road landing 300 feet in a canyon.
The mother was pinned inside the van. The boy was a little disoriented, as to be expected, but had enough of his wits about him to know that he had to find help. Two hours later, in a part of Arizona that is naturally visited by few people, and even more so on a holiday like Thanksgiving, the boy was found by 26-year-old Jesus Manuel Cordova.
Jesus was coming to find the American Dream — he ended up being a dream come true for one little 9-year-old boy.
Officials don’t know if Jesus spoke English or the boy was able to speak Spanish but it was clear the two communicated. The boy reported that Jesus went back to the van to try and rescue the mother but couldn’t get her out and so stayed with the boy trying to comfort him until help arrived on Friday morning — too late to save his mother.
As temperatures dropped during the night, Jesus built a fire and gave the boy his jacket. Hunters found them about 8 a.m. on Friday. Officials careflighted the boy to a medical center in Tucson while border officials began deportation proceedings against Jesus.
Sheriff Tony Estrada said that Jesus saved the boy’s life.
If Jesus was the criminal alien that politicians and pundits like to paint all undocumented aliens as being, then he would have left that little boy in the desert, but he didn’t.
At great risk of being caught and sent back, Jesus made the moral decision to stay and comfort a stranger who needed him.
As Sheriff Estrada said, “They (undocumented immigrants) 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.”
Yet, the comments left at one news site by American readers underscore how deep, for lack of a better word, the hatred runs for anyone who is deemed an undocumented immigrant from Mexico and beyond.
Readers were quick to point out that this one act of kindness doesn’t erase the “burglaries, drug dealings and shootings” of other undocumented immigrants. Yet, what these readers fail to acknowledge is that those people who do those things are true criminals.
Just as much as all the white, African American and Asian American people who commit the same type of offenses.
Walking across an imaginary line in the sand, whether fortified by a fence or not, doesn’t make a person a criminal, but rather criminalizes a person.
The fact remains that without Jesus crossing the border at that particular time, the 9-year-old may have suffered through the death of his mother all alone.
We can’t help but think that there was a greater message in this one act of kindness on a day set aside to give thanks for what we receive in life.
The only problem is that too many people will choose to not see beyond Jesus’ illegal crossing.
Yet, there is one 9-year-old boy who probably feels his father must have sent him Jesus to keep him safe until help arrived.
It’s one story that no doubt will live on forever.
Comment(18)
Horace
Stipulated: Not all illegal aliens are rapists, drug dealers and maniacs and most are fine upstanding individuals, some of whom will give their shirt off their back. None of this has anything to do with whether they should be permitted to stay in this country after illegal entry, however.
Marisa Treviño
Okay, Horace, I’ll concede that point. But in my book, it makes for a stronger argument that most undocumented aliens deserve a chance to come to this country to work.
And the only way to do that is to fix the system where someone who needs a job today, and not in 10 years (as happens with some waiting for US visas), can come, work and provide for their family — and in the process, help all of us too.
miguel
Marisa, I am with you on this. A boys life can continue.
That is the pony under this pile of anti-immigration poop.
Horace
Ok, Maris, just how do you intend to pay for these 20 million new burdens on our health care system? Why should this be paid for by the taxpayer, who is already paying high insurance premiums or receiving no health care at all? Would you be in favor of a special tax on those who favor your proposal to grant amnesty? Why should citizens who oppose giving them anmensty pay for the additional ESL classes and subsidy of new poor? Every EITC costs the treasury funds and additional welfare cases will result in new costs, all paid by current citizens? And don’t tell me that you’ll accept the risk on behalf of the American people that these new poor won’t be a new tax burden, as it isn’t yours to carry. It is evident to all but you advocates that this burden to be borne by us all, and that it is inevitable. Why should this be imposed upon our current citizens? Aren’t you an American first, or does that come second to the brotherhood of Hispanics. It would seem so. I’ll take your silence as meaning that you either don’t care or have no solutions.
Marisa Treviño
Horace,
Why do you insist on distorting the truth? Why do you insist on interjecting issues that have no bearing on the post at hand?
I realize your email says your last name is “rumphole” so I’m assuming your name isn’t even Horace but just a twisted approach in your strategy to discredit everything I write by hiding behind a false name.
No one is talking here about amnesty and if you don’t think illegal immigrants pay taxes — it is something you want to believe rather than hearing the truth.
You talk about burden. We’ll see how great this burden is when prices go up for dairy, vegetables and fruits and other products and services that we have taken for granted.
That day will be here before we know it.
Marisa
miguel
Horace, Each time you bring up the possibility of immigrants coming under the care of social services, the money involved seems to be of most important aspect. The 80% of Americans that you mention as being opposed to this possibility are also going to have their say in this matter. If money was that big of an issue, I would think that the $10 billion per month we have been spending on our wars for the last 5 years would also be on the front pages along with the immigration debate.
Maybe the people that believe in that war effort could spare a small portion of that money to aid in the study of the immigration invasion.
One war spawned the other.
Frank
There is no way of knowing how many of these illegal aliens we need to fill jobs that Americans can’t or won’t do without advertising them to Americans first for a fair wage. Other than the Ag industry, most of these jobs could be filled by Americans. If all of these illegals are gainfully employed, then why are there so many standing on street corners begging for work as at the day laborer sites?
Our economy is being driven by the huge supply of illegal alien labor. Businesses are expanding and opening because of this. At first you might say that this is a good thing but it isn’t when it puts Americans out of work and the burden of uncontrolled population growth that this is creating.
I say they need to go back to their home countries and let the employers advertise for American workers first at a fair wage. When an employer has demonstrated that he can’t find American workers then our government can increase work visas for them and expedite it. However, we still need to keep in mind population growth. That should be a priority in deciding how many foreign workers/immigrants we can absorb into our country. For Ag workers and some other low skilled jobs, I think these work visas should only be temporary with no path to citizenship or any other permanance and no family members should be allowed to come with the worker. Visits by the temporary worker to his family in his native country should be allowed with reasonable frequency. Employers should be responsible for their health care premiums.
We need to pass legislation to reinterpret the 14th Amendment about birthright citizenship to one parent having to be a citizen.
There is much that needs to change for us to reach any comprehensive reform and amnesty is out of the question.
Horace
I bring it up, Marisa, because you never do. You avoid the issues that matter most to your opponents, somehow thinking that dismissing them will make them go away.
Never mind answering my questions, as you apparently have no loyalty to this country, only to that of the world Hispanic community in general.
Crock
Horace in another post I remeber you mention democracy but you avoid to go deep in the subject.
Frank
Most anyone in this illegal alien’s position would have done the same thing. It is just human nature to help someone when they are hurt.
Crossing an “imaginary line in the sand”? Is that what our borders are now? Yes, it does make him a criminal of a misdemeanor offense. No one is saying that “all” illegal aliens commit other crimes. I think it should be made a felony to cross our borders illegally and I think at some point in time, it will be.
laura
“Frank” and “Horace”, still coming up with excuses to pick on people weaker than you ? Even when they act nobly ?
When was the last time you picked on someone your own size ?
Come to think of it, what was the last noble act you can claim for yourselves ?
Frank
laura, what do you mean by “weakness”? It doesn’t matter how weak or strong you are (whatever that means) no one is excused from law breaking. So to point out someone’s law breaking is to pick on people not your own size? If you are poor or uneducated you are exempt from our laws?
As far as the incident that this topic is about, Marisa is trying to heroize him just because he is an illegal alien Mexican. As I said, most humans would have done the same thing….help someone who was hurt physically.
Horace
“Come to think of it, what was the last noble act you can claim for yourselves ?”
It’s really none of your business, but it was volunteering to deploy and serving in South West Asia in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
And yours, Laura?
Joe McFarland
Ms Trevino,
I apologize for the absurd digression of all of this. I really do. I happened to wander into this Web site while researching the case of Jesus Manuel Cordova and was instantly horrified.
Please know the irrelevant comments regarding immigration posted here do nothing to diminish the quality of your self.
I will offer this: Although your angry detractors seem to know many facts, I am reminded of the simple adage “The more you learn, the less you know.”
Horace
“The more you learn, the less you know.”
Let’s give three cheers for blissful ignorance!
diana joe
“I think it should be made a felony to cross our borders illegally and I think at some point in time, it will be.”
Posted by Frank | 25 de Noviembre 2007 a las 06:08 PM
Why do I keep remembering the twins as in bush, as in fake id’s, as in bars, as in drunk, as in liars, as in our America…and they were seen in Mx.(partying) too.
Underage stolen identities for personal gain-criminals..very criminal.
Frank
It should be a felony for anyone to cross any country’s borders illegally no matter who they are no matter what country it is.
Jesse James
“Frank I like where you’re coming from ,but look at all the good comes out of these immigrants illegal or not.”
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