My Latin gardener has "disappeared."

[PeaceWave]

Last edited Wed Feb 19, 2025, 02:07 PM - Edit history (1)

Carlos has been our gardener for approximately five years now. At the very beginning of the pandemic, he rolled up to our house in his old rust colored truck, the vehicle's best years far in its rear view mirror. Stepping out, the young man introduced himself. In a timid voice which only became more confident when we indicated that we speak Spanish, Carlos explained that he'd recently lost his job with a construction company but that he was hard working and was going to turn around a bad situation by starting his own landscaping business. "No vine tan lejos sólo para perder." "I didn't come this far just to fail."

Carlos was from El Salvador, a fact which immediately ingratiated himself to us, since our own family's roots extend to that country. "Were we interested in being his first client?" "Do you have an edger?" I asked. I can mow a lawn with the best of them. But, for some reason, edging is a skill I've never mastered, my personal kryptonite. "Yes, I have all the tools I need." The earnest and hopeful look in Carlos' eyes transcended language and culture. Salesmanship begins with the ability to engender trust, the awareness of which is lost on legions of fancy suits hawking their equally fancy financial products. We'd never had a gardener before. But, now we did.

Over the ensuing years, Carlos transformed our lawn and gardens into the envy of the block. His business too flourished. He took on first one, then a second assistant. The old rust colored truck gave way to a bigger spanking white one. Despite having more clients, Carlos' care and attention to detail never diminished. At the slightest sign of yellowing, the lawn was fertilized. Failing sprinkler heads were swapped out. Groaning sprinkler valves were replaced. Along the way, Carlos told us in his steadily improving English about his family and his pride in beginning to achieve his American dream. His son, he said, would also work with his hands. He would be a surgeon.

And now, without any notice whatsoever, Carlos and his two assistants have simply vanished. He has twice missed Monday, his scheduled day to work at the house. The first time it happened was brushed aside. Perhaps he was ill. When the second Monday passed without seeing Carlos and his crew, we became concerned. Calls to his telephone number first went unanswered, then were met with a full mailbox notification. A visit to a neighbor on an adjoining street who had also become one of Carlos' clients was met with a similar story. "We don't know what happened to him. We're worried." A man, his livelihood and his American dream are all as though they never existed.

[Prairie Gates]

1. ...

[Scrivener7]

3. Wow. That's a monumentally creepy response.

[Prairie Gates]

6. Calls 'em like I see 'em

[Blues Heron]

8. what if the guy was taken to Gitmo - you good with that?

[Scrivener7]

9. Seems like our friend doesn't care one way or the other.

There's a word for that.

[Wonder Why]

12. Could be that some of us can't afford gardeners, or maids, or butlers, or "staff" and it may be hard

to sympathize with others.

[Scrivener7]

15. Could be you missed the point entirely.

You can't have sympathy for someone whose entire life has been upended because he works for someone who can afford to pay for the work he does?

That's quite the neat trick. That way you don't need to care about anyone.

Is that the plan?

[Wonder Why]

25. I feel sorry for everyone, particularly migrants. But reread the original post. What was expressed and what wasn't

about the situation in the post?

There was sympathy because he came from the same country.
He worked hard.
He made the place be the envy of the neighborhood.
His business started growing.
He suddenly disappeared.
They knew a little about his family.

Did they know his last name? Where he lived? Where his business was? Did he have a business name? Did they check with other landscapers to find out more about what might have happened to him? I don't know from the post.

40 years ago when we lived in southern NM in a rural area, a young newly married "undocumented" couple stopped by looking for work. I told him we didn't own a farm but pointed out some people who he could talk to. My wife and I talked and decided we could have them help us for the day and paid them well over the minimum wage so they would have some cash. At the end of the day, they asked if they could sleep by our house for safety. We told them "No Way", made our two sons temporarily share a bedroom, fed the couple and put them up overnight. The next morning after breakfast, we again pointed out where to go and told them they would always be welcomed back.
A year later, the man came by alone. Se stayed at home with their first child so we told him to stop by on his way home as we had plenty of clothes or kids had outgrown. He did on his return and we gave him what we had. The next year, he came by again alone and said he now had a couple of kids. He said he wouldn't be able to come by again and we wished each other well. We never saw him again. We had their names but they were moving and he never wrote.

I mention this because I do care. I cared about them, not the work they did for me.

I am not criticizing the OP. He may have done just as much and probably more and does care. But I don't see it in his post and possibly Prairie Gates didn't either.

[Scrivener7]

37. As I said below, my plumber fixed my sink this morning. He was recommended

to me by my sister. I know his name and his phone number.

He's a great plumber.

I don't know his friends, I don't know where he lives. I know he has a wife but I don't know if he has children. I don't know where his office is or even if he has one. I don't NEED to know those things.

I find many of your expectations about the poster's relationship to this man to be absurd. He hired a gardener. He watched him prosper over the years and was happy for him. Now the gardener has disappeared due to our terrible politics.

You ARE criticizing the OP. You're judging him and acting like he's somehow hypocritical because he's concerned for the man but hasn't said enough for you to feel he's earned the right to express concern for him.

Or something. It's absolutely ridiculous.

[Upthevibe]

71. Scrivener7.............

I completely agree with your response....

[GP6971]

111. There's always the Ignore Button.

[Scrivener7]

112. Oooh. I missed it. Do I have a fan?

[GP6971]

113. Sure looks like it. You should

be honored!!!

[Scrivener7]

114. .

[soldierant]

49. I had the impression the OP

was choosing his words carefully to keeo himself out of the way of what he felt was someone else's story. Like an actor who works hard not to steal another actor's scene.

But I saw humanity though that. I saw it in that, actually..

[JI7]

59. No, there are many people we see regularly in life

and might only say hello and a few words. One day we realize we hadn't seen them for some time. We can still care about them without knowing much about them.

[pnwmom]

97. Why would the writer have put the last name in the story? Or any identifying information?

The point was obvious. The writer was concerned about his gardener and the people who worked for him. The rest of us should be, too. Carlos was a man who'd worked hard to take care of himself and others -- not some threat who should have been deported -- but it is natural to fear that's what happened.

[Pinback]

17. And some of us have become too old and decrepit

to keep up with the yard we’ve maintained for decades, so a little help now and then is worth the expense.

[WarGamer]

19. To add...

When I lived in Scottsdale it was a full acre lot.

Late 90's two Mexicans guys would come by every 6 months and skin my palm trees... 7 of them... and pick weeds in the large yard.

$100 every time and I'd kick in 50 for a tip.

[Wonder Why]

28. Great! That's why we're fellow D.U.ers. We care about people.

[Wonder Why]

27. How about 78 and 80 for the two of us? Since we knew 20+ years ago that this would be our

future, we chose instead to move closer in with less property and hospital nearby.

[spooky3]

102. Then you are fortunate to have the funds for a close-in property.

I’m looking at your post 12.

I’m not sure how your situation is different in an important way from someone who chooses to stay put and pay for help as needed.

[Silver Gaia]

48. Same here. We dont have a lawn. We took that out

years ago and replaced it with fruit trees, shrubs, and roses. Great, right? Yes, but... all those trees, shrubs, and roses need to be pruned, plus the huge leaves the neighbor's giant sycamore dumps in our yard are very hard to remove easily. It has been difficult but we love our yard this way, only now, we are both getting too old to keep up with it.

So, we hired the lawn care guy who does our neighbor's yard once a week. It's an added expense we have to plan for, but I am the younger of the two of us and it had all fallen on me to do alone, so I am so happy we found a way to do this.

I know little about him or the young guys who work for him. I don't speak Spanish, and his English is spotty, so it's not like we can be chatty. But I CARE about him, and I CARE about his workers. They are nice. They smile and they do great work. They have helped me immensely.

I'm telling you all this because I simply don't know their status, but he prefers cash payment, so I suspect he may be undocumented. It hurts my heart to think they may not return, that their families could be torn apart. It is my hope that my state will protect them.

Just because I don't know the intimate details of this man's life or of his workers, does not mean I dont care about him. It just means he is a private person who says little about himself, even when I ask, in part because we have a language barrier.

[LeftInTX]

82. Same here! Mowing a lawn was much easier!

We don't hire anyone, but it's tons of work.

We really should remove some of it.

[Silver Gaia]

115. Yeah, we've thought about doing that, but just can't do it.

This is California, so growth is nuts. We learned too late that whatever dimensions the tag on a plant says it will achieve at maturity should be at least doubled! Sometimes tripled. It's crazy to keep up with.

[LeftInTX]

116. We haven't saved water either!

That's why we did it. My plan won a prize from our water utility in 1996.

[Silver Gaia]

119. Yeah, same!

Fruit trees drink a lot... but... at least they give us something delicious in exchange.

Cool about that prize!

[mgardener]

39. Poor, pitiful, you

Imagine not being able to have empathy or concern for others because you can't afford a gardener.

How sad.

[Jack Valentino]

56. Can you sympathize with the

gardeners, or maids, or butlers, or "staff"--- ???


I think that was more the point that the OP was trying to make,
rather than looking for "sympathy" over their loss of 'services'....

[MadameButterfly]

80. I've been surprised that the discussion is more about

the people who hire gardeners, how they should behave, whether they are too rich
when the point is the GARDENERS.

People are being kidnapped and sent God knows where. Lives are being upended. The OP gave a face to it.
I'm horrified. I know its just the beginning. I don't know how we just pick up and keep going with what's going on. And I don't know what to do about it.

[JI7]

58. I know many people that don't have much money but hire people to do certain things for them

usually it's becsuse they are older or have some condition where they can't do it themselves.

It's just something they pay others to do becsuse they can't do it themselves. They probably have to cut back in other areas becsuse of this.

[quaint]

68. In my 70s, still doing all yard and tree work myself, twice the neighbor's yardman has come over to help me.

He was also the first person to aid me when I walked off the ladder while cutting a limb. At the time, all I could offer in thanks was a loaf of home-baked, day-old bread.

Most of my late friends employed yard workers, even though the older women lived on social security.

There seems to be a mean wind blowing.

[Upthevibe]

72. Wonder Why............

I don't think that paying someone to take care of your yard is extravagant. He didn't mention maids or "staff."

[pnwmom]

96. Could it be that some people are too selfish to sympathize with the hard working gardener the story described? nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

99. The poster has a lawn and can afford a gardener

Doesn't make the poster Thurston Howell.

[pnwmom]

128. So? nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

129. A poster suggested...

A poster suggested hiring someone to take care of your lawn is a character flaw.

[pnwmom]

130. Posters sometimes say dumb things. nt

[lastlib]

51. "repuglikan"? n/t

(or, more correctly, "DAMN repuglikan".... I know it's two words, but they could be joined together....)

[senseandsensibility]

10. But what are you calling exactly?

Why don't you just say what you mean?

[sagetea]

20. I call 'em like I see 'em too.

Are you suggesting that the Op should not have hired the man who was starting a new business in service? How DOES a person who is offering service get a job? I can't afford to help those around me, but I do what I can and posting a 'rolling eye' emoji is worse than OP hiring a person to do a service in exchange for money. Your comment was rude and uncalled for, there is no reason for it.

sage

[Prairie Gates]

36. LOL

True!

[Scrivener7]

41. Oh good. A brandy-new poster is here to tell us it's "fertilizer" when we report that our Latino neighbors

have disappeared.

Just what we needed.

[LymphocyteLover]

31. which is what, exactly? I don't know what that green eyerolly face means in context

[Jack Valentino]

55. Which is ???

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, that you think Carlos departed for his own safety---

but your lack of details leaves doubt about your opinion on the matter.

[GoYouPackersGo]

50. What the fuck?

[Skittles]

60. predictable

usual MO is "fly under the radar"

[Skittles]

61. oh dear

do you have a problem with people who don't want to associate with fascist bootlickers?

[Torchlight]

76. That being but one method of illustrating the content of our character.

[Iggo]

79. Okay, that's enough.

[dalton99a]

2. Kick

[XanaDUer2]

4. Thank you for sharing

[Scrivener7]

5. I hope he's OK.

[UpInArms]

7. Lives destroyed

Hopes crushed …

[beaglelover]

11. I don't know the immigration status of our gardener but he did not show up last Friday. I attributed it to the rain the

night before. I really hope he is OK. We finally got approval from the HOA and water company to replace our front lawn with artificial turf and he was going to do it for us. He did an excellent job last fall replacing all of the irrigation in our back and side yards and he's an excellent weekly gardener as well.

Our cleaning lady said her cousin who is not documented and living in the USA has not left her house since tRump was inaugurated. So sad.

[druidity33]

13. True story? Or Allegory? nt.

[Prairie Gates]

23. Great question

[Scrivener7]

45. Why are you repeatedly insinuating the OP is lying? Do you disbelieve this is happening?

[druidity33]

66. It sounds fake to me too.

Plenty of real life examples to pull from. Really no need to make stuff up. Tellingly... no response from the OP.

[Scrivener7]

74. Jesus. That's lame. I have personal reports from friends working in schools of dozens of kids who are no longer

going to school and whose families have suddenly moved.

This is happening everywhere.

[spooky3]

101. A friend who volunteers as ESL teacher said 5 out of 6 of her

Latinx students did not show two weeks ago.

Fortunately, she said they returned last week. Not sure why.

[LeftInTX]

117. The first week at Spanish mass, it was dead!

Two weeks later, attendance was back to normal.
I think there was fear that ICE was going to be raiding churches and schools.

[spooky3]

125. Thanks but there are different perspectives on this issue.

https://www.bu.edu/articles/2022/why-is-latinx-still-used-if-hispanics-hate-the-term/

Feminists find it sexist to be labeled with masculine terms, eg for a long time “he” was presumed to refer to both men and women, when it actually disappeared women. In this context, a gender neutral term is preferred to either using “Latino” to apply to a group of people that includes both genders, or to a wordy “Latina or Latino” usage.

Sensitivity to ethnicity issues should not crowd out sensitivity to gender issues.

[MadameButterfly]

81. Why are you even going there?

Has the OP done anything to you?

[druidity33]

94. What kind of question is that?

I appreciate HONESTY. If you want to tell a story to me... i appreciate knowing whether you are drawing from an ACTUAL EXPERIENCE or are telling tales. Yes the story is 'plausible'. I'm sure (like I said) there are many REAL LIFE examples to pull from. But the way this OP is written... it sounds FICTIONAL. I work in a Mexican restaurant. I know ACTUAL PEOPLE who have recently left the country because of this situation. Why hasn't the OP responded to anyone here?

Shrugging again...

[MadameButterfly]

103. Lots of people tell first hand experience stories on DU

We don't ask whether they are lying. We take them at their word--if it's their life, not some political fact that we can check. This isn't a story that couldn't happen or that makes no sense in relation to what's going on. There's no reason to single this person out.

If a few people get away with telling personal stories that aren't true, I'd prefer that to insulting people who are telling the truth.

The poster might be busy or prefer not to engage with this. I certainly wouldn't if it were me.

[druidity33]

104. It's a totally plausible story, but like I said...

i appreciate honesty. If this is real, i'd be happy with the OP saying "This is real". I don't need proof of anything.. and this is just my opinion after all. On a forum, where i presume we all have opinions. I view all single source accounts as anecdotal and i take them at face value. That does not mean i can't or shouldn't seek truth. I do not think i've been insulting. I don't know if this story is "true" or not. But it really doesn't matter whether i believe it or not, does it?

I asked the question of the OP "Is this true or an allegory?" and got no response. It's a powerful story. Depending on the response i was going to urge the OP to use it as an OpEd.

[LeftInTX]

14. I guess you don't know where he lives? Possible way of contacting him or someone who knows him.

[Scrivener7]

16. The poster said his contact phone doesn't answer and has a full mailbox message.

I don't have a gardener, but my plumber just fixed my sink this morning.

I wouldn't know how to reach him if his phone number didn't work. And I don't know his friends or address.

[LeftInTX]

84. I knew where my housekeepers lived.

Also there are a few programs that help you find people. I use Been Verified.
You put in the phone number...

Been Verified isn't the best, there are better ones out there.

Also, the gardener has been coming weekly for five years, so there appears to be a relationship.

In 2019, we had a guy do our siding. He was here for about two weeks? I spent alot of time talking with him. Lots of small talk etc. He's from Uruguay. (However, I think he's a US citizen). I think I asked him where he lived. (Small talk, not being nosy) I know he lives near us. We have his card and we could easily find out where he lives, if we really wanted to.

We do develop relationships with people who work at our homes. Maybe it wasn't the particular case in the OP. But there is a chance they could find out where he lives.

[Scrivener7]

90. That's nice.

[LoisB]

18. I hope Carlos and his family are ok.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

21. oh no....I hope he is ok

[sagetea]

22. Thank you

For worrying about them.

sage

[Comrade Citizen]

24. You Guanaco?

My Guanaco friends are laying low. Local pupusa shop is nearly empty.

[Tickle]

26. A friend of mine has his own

landscaping business. None of his workers have come into work in a couple of weeks. If he has to hire a different clientele, he said that we would not be able to afford his services. Iets see where this all takes us

[enigmania]

29. This is so sad.

[Joinfortmill]

32. Oh, God. Horrible.

[AntiFascist]

33. I live near hundreds of acres of strawberry fields...

and they are starting to get ripe this time of year, but every time I drive by, I don't see a single migrant farmworker, not one! The fields are empty of any workers and this is very unusual.

[Jack Valentino]

57. "Strawberry Fields Forever" ??

White maggots better get out there, if they want to eat any more strawberries....

[AntiFascist]

85. I don't think MAGA farmers are very happy, "Living is easy with eyes closed" n/t

[Wounded Bear]

34. Nacht und nebel...nt

[B.See]

35. Trump's gestapo came for them in the night. Won't be the last...

Martin Niemöller can school us on how THAT'LL play out. And HE was initially a Nazi. Until they came for HIM.

[Scrivener7]

44. Maybe he's moved on to somewhere safer. I hope so. This is heartbreaking.

[barbtries]

38. it's so wrong.

so fucking WRONG.

have you any way to check on whether he was picked up? I feel like that could be so dicey, because if he hasn't, you may have put his name on someone's radar to do it.

omigawd it's excruciating watching everything going down the tube.

[TexLaProgressive]

40. I worry abut a lot of my Latino friends, citizens or not

ICE under tRump doesn’t seem to discriminating. I am sorry to hear about Carlos and his workers. They may not be detained/deported but gone underground.

Last winter we had an enoromous cottonwood tree die. It was forked at 5’ with one huge trunk endangering the house. I asked my trumpian cousin who had several trees die and fall.She suggested Vincente. This many may be a US citizen, I don’t know ofcare, just wish he and his family are sare. His team conssitted of 3 men 2 how were Hondurans. This was a perfect team doing a very dangerous job. They are nice people, hard workers and conscentious. And we had some nice conversations during water breaks.

It was a great experience with a great outcoome - I worry for their safety, especially for the yooung Honduran brothers.

[DENVERPOPS]

42. He should have worked exclusively

in the UBER wealthy, gated communities......That would be LAST place on earth ICE would ever raid.......
Same for any big corporation...........

[Hekate]

54. The housekeepers and gardeners don't live behind the gates -- ICE can pick them up anywhere

[Texasgal]

43. Same thing has happened to my Mom's yard

guy... He came every two weeks religiously for over 10 years. Never missing times, except in the winter where the schedule turns to 3 weeks.

My Mother has tried his phone, his other clients, to no avail.

He is missing and we have no idea where he went.

[MLAA]

46. Thank you for sharing a real life story of the impact of TSF and President Musk's actions on real people just trying to

improve their lot and the customers who know, trust, appreciate and worry about them.

[claudette]

126. What is TSF?

[DSandra]

47. Keep in mind that White Trumpers voted for this because "immigrants r takin r jobz! Waahhh!"

[Cirsium]

52. Many, many times

That has happened here in farm country many, many times over the last 20+ years.

The son of a friend works in building restoration. The sheetrock workers in the industry have all disappeared and work is at a standstill. They were all immigrants from the South.

[LeftInTX]

53. I was watching this youtube video from this expat who lives in Mexico. He said everyone is moving back.

Even some plain old Latino US citizens are moving to Mexico.

[awesomerwb1]

62. Hi Peacewave. Thank you for sharing

Very nicely written sad story. I hope Carlos is ok.

Shame on some of the posters replying to this thread. Take your hate somewhere else.

[Figarosmom]

63. Lets hope he went somewhere

Of his own choice like Canada and wasn't snatched up and deported to who knows where.

Hopefully he cashed in and ran.

[SalamanderSleeps]

65. Christ is spinning on his cross.

I love and hate everything about this thread.

[Maru Kitteh]

67. All this leaves me feeling constantly nauseated. I can't even imagine what all migrants are going through.

[LiberalArkie]

69. The simple explanation is he underbid some homes and some of the white lawn care companies just called

immigration. They do that a lot. Even if Carlos has all his papers and even if born in the US but doesn't have them when stopped, he is probably gone.

And how many carry their passports with them when they go to the grocery store?

[4catsmom]

70. just like 1970s Argentina

well done, US. you are officially a third world shithole

[Upthevibe]

73. PeaceWave.............

I'm sorry that happened.

I think we can assume what happened...

[58Sunliner]

75. How awful. I hate that good people are suffering.

[Torchlight]

77. In tend to think our collective reactions to these occurrences over the next six months

will define the next four years, and from that, the next generation.

We can minimize, reduce, trivialize, mock, or ignore these abuses, giving comfort to their continuation and growth.

Or we can stand.

[DownriverDem]

78. Sounds like

he was either arrested, being held, deported or left on his own. How many have done the same?

[LeftInTX]

83. Many are leaving on their own.

There is a chance if he is deported to El Salvador, he could end up in that awful prison in El Salvador. Might as well just go home!

Even if he was just plain old deported, guess what? He gets a record in the US and can't come back. (At this point, he may not have a record). He also will be detained. He also will have a hearing. He gets to go home in chains. Might as well just go home!

That's what alot of Mexican nationals are doing. My daughter's friend moved to Mexico City in 2017. She told my daughter that her birth certificate was forged and she wasn't born in the US. She was a physical therapist. When Trump came in office, she up and left.

[booksenkatz]

86. My mom's caregiver has left

My mom's beloved caregiver is a US citizen born to parents who arrived legally from Mexico many years ago and became citizens themselves. All were working and thriving and contributing to society. Then the caregiver fell in love with, and married, a Mexican man who was also working and thriving and contributing to society, but did not have his papers. When Dump was elected, they knew they had to go to Mexico before things worsened. Although a citizen, she was forced to choose between her husband and her parents, whom she will likely never see again. The cruelty is absolutely endless and stunning. My mom misses her dearly, because they both hate Dump and it's nice to find someone in Texas who hates him as much as you do and you can talk about it freely.

[LeftInTX]

91. Unfortunately, that is not uncommon.

A generic white friend's little sister fell in love with a undocumented guy. She had two kids from a previous marriage. He got deported. She moved to southern Mexico to be with him in. She was living in a house with dirt floor and chickens running around. Apparently, she loved it. I don't know where her kids were in all of this?

I haven't talked to my friend in years, but her little sister was always "up to something". Odds are, she got bored and moved back here. This happened way back in 2009.

ETA: I just found her little sister on FB. She's back here, married to a white guy and posting pictures of snow and living in Wisconsin again.

[marble falls]

87. "as though they never existed." Just heart breaking.

[malaise]

88. Heart breaking

Rec

[calimary]

89. Thanks for this post, PeaceWave. We need to read and understand this new nightmare

and it always helps to have real-life examples.

It hurts my heart to see people who are honest and work hard and get wonderful results for their labors - and then have to live in fear. Or leave for someplace safer. Or worse.

This is not the America I learned about in school. I hardly even recognize it anymore. And I REFUSE to recognize the so-called “President” after what he’s done to the country I still love. And shit - we’re only a month in.

I shudder to think what will be left of the America I grew up loving - by the time it’s finally freed from the clutches of the donald. And whether I’ll even live to see that.

HAH! Never could have guessed, and certainly would never have expected. DAMN YOU, donald.

[Scrivener7]

93. Wouldn't you prefer to get a hobby? Try knitting.

You'll feel better about yourself if you do something productive.

[McKim]

95. Got My Ex Yard Guy Out of the ICE Prison in Tacoma

We had a crew of guys that would come by once a year and do the whole yard. We got to know them, then they retired to do commercial landscaping. The wife cleaned our house for years until she retired. Then the brother in law took over the home garden business and his sister in law cleaned our house. When then brother in law told us that Juan was in the ICE prison, we went into action with our local interfaith immigrant support organization. We got neighbors to write letters, letters stacked up and when we his court date came we showed up and it was a two hour drive to thew court. We dressed up. He was up against one of the nastiest immigration judges in the country but we got him out and now he is on a sure path to citizenship. Now HIS brother in law and family are threatened. We are in constant contact with them and really worried. So please no dissing about us affording some help. Our neighborhood was also involved and stayed involved. So please, just because somebody has money doesn't mean they have no heart.

[LeftInTX]

118. Thank you so much for doing this!

[enid602]

98. Jose Luis

I’ve been pretty worried about Jose Luis the last few weeks. He’s done landscaping and handyman jobs for everyone on Echo Lane for years and years. He’s taken care of everything at my house for 13 years. I finally got nerve enough to ask him last week how things were going Migra-wise. He had good news; my neighbor, very high up at the VA Hospital here was able to sponsor him and his wife, and helped him with his ‘tramites’ to get his green card.

The only problem is that my neighbor received ‘the email’ from DOGE, indicating that his job might be on the line. I’ve known the neighbor for 15 years. Everything seems so temporary today.

[Clouds Passing]

100. Carlos and family 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 I hope they are safe.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

105. This is creepy and sad

Your gardener sounds like a good person who should be treated this way by TFG

[GP6971]

109. Hello!!! Plan on staying long?

[PeterIsMyBrother]

108. Stay strong, my sister or brother

Deportation is of course a harsh Operation
Republican voters sure don't seem to Mind
That very few immigrants ever commit a Crime

[LetMyPeopleVote]

127. Welcome to DU

[AmericaUnderSiege]

124. Missing persons report maybe?

Were you close enough with him to file a missing persons? If not, I would keep an eye on the phenomenon but not draw any conclusions.