By Maria Duran
08 Nov 2023, 06:00 AM EST
In July 2008 my world collapsed. The remains of my son, US Army Sergeant Alex Jiménez, kidnapped in 2007 during the Iraq war, had been recovered. At the same time, we found ourselves immersed in a battle to stop the deportation of Yaderlin, Alex’s wife. Many times I wanted to give up and escape, but it was not an option. The way our immigration system treated my family was an insult to Alex’s bravery and Yaderlin’s sacrifice.
With a simple signature, Governor Kathy Hochul has the power to ensure this never happens again. This year, in a historic moment, the New York Senate and Assembly unanimously approved the Alex R. Jimenez Military Family Program. This innovative proposal was promoted by Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz and Senators Nathalia Fernández and Jacob Ashby. This program will provide our active duty service members, veterans, and immediate family members with the crucial assistance and resources necessary to navigate the immigration system so they can obtain legal immigration status and U.S. citizenship.
If this project had existed sooner, our family would have had critical support during one of our worst battles. Government representatives have the ability to dismantle bureaucratic barriers and foster cooperation between federal immigration authorities, military leadership, and state government for the benefit of our service members and their immigrant families. This is especially important for vulnerable military families like mine, who have no way to pay thousands of dollars for legal advice in complex immigration cases.
My son, Alex, sacrificed his life for the country he loved. By signing this bill, we honor his legacy. We showed our nation that bipartisan immigration reform is not a pipe dream and we showed our immigrant military families that they are an integral part of our nation.
I am writing to you, Governor Hochul. From mother to mother, as a New Yorker, as an American proud of our great nation: sign this bill. Let’s show our military families that we stand by them, that we value their service, and that we will protect their American dream.
María Durán is the mother of the Fallen Soldier, Sergeant Alex Jiménez