Mission Bite #56: Kids still need their dads

Andrés lives in Mexico City -- again. His parents brought him to the U.S. when he was 8, and he was deported at age 19 following an incident with police. Although the charges against him were dropped, it was too late -- he was already in deportation proceedings. He's hoping to return home one day.

"It's been 7 years, and I'm miserable," he says. "I'm not in a safe place, I work a job that barely pays my room and board, and I don't have any family or friends here. But I DID learn Spanish," he joked. His U.S.-born wife and 7-year-old son, who was born around the time Andrés was deported, tried living in Mexico, but they had to return to the states when her parents fell ill. Through our legal services program, we hope to help this young couple understand what options are available so that Andrés can return to the U.S. "I just want a chance to be a dad," he says. "My wife is doing her best, but kids still need their dad."

- Greg and Sue Smith, CBF field personnel in Fredericksburg, Va.