North Texas friends, coworkers navigate new immigration reality
DALLAS — Friday evening at Birrieria Aguinaga Taqueria, Sylvia DeLeon and Gissel Lorenzo waited at the sliding glass window for customers' food orders. Work this week has been the perfect distraction.
It's slow outside the Bishop Arts taco stop, but there's a situation racing in the heads and hearts of two friends and coworkers.
"I think it's a very difficult and sad situation," Loreno said.
The 18-year-old worker, born in Mexico, is trying to remain positive following President Trump's executive orders on immigration this week. Deportation flights have already started for non-citizens in the country unlawfully.
The effort is supposed to go after migrants with criminal records. Lorenzo said that makes it difficult for those who do not carry the same baggage and want a better life for their families.
"Some people think that only because one person does the wrong thing, everybody else does it, which, it's not this, it's not, that's not how it is," Lorenzo said.
Her family has been in the U.S. for five years. DeLeon was born in Texas, but her parents are native Mexicans who believe they may end up back there.
"My parents are in the situation on, if it's, if it's that way, then it's that way. But pray to God that doesn't happen," DeLeon said.
The 21-year-old said they talked about the possibilities at the dinner table. DeLeon said she's also people departing before deportation.
"And I just feel like that's not right," DeLeon said.
The rising fear is an earmark of victory for those who wanted to see a shakeup at the border. For those living through it, the shadow of defeat feels cold.
"A lot of people are getting scared to go into stores, go pump gas because they're scared there are going to be patrols there and grab them and take them away leaving their family behind," Lorenzo said.
