By Tom Becka

Make this make sense.

Carlos Godinez is a 47-year-old man who has lived in Nebraska since he was a young child. He is a graduate of Lexington High School and the University of Nebraska Kearney.

Carlos is a single father of two. He’s an entrepreneur who owns a Gyro restaurant in Kearney.

He is also sitting in a county jail charged with the heinous crime of being brought across the border when he was ten years old.

That’s right, Carlos Godinez is undocumented and is at risk of being deported to Guatemala. A country he hasn’t seen since he was a child.

The roundup of immigrants isn’t in the news much these days. There are so many other things to capture our attention. The war in Iran, The Epstein Files, the price of gas, and Nebraska’s success in the NCAA Tournament are just some of the stories that have been featured on today’s headlines. The push to round up those without the proper paperwork isn’t discussed much these days.

Lately, the only time ICE has made the news is their presence hanging out in airports, unsure of how to lend a hand to TSA agents. That’s slightly better P.R. for them than when they were kidnapping children and killing those exercising their First Amendment rights.

Evidently, Carlos was found guilty of a traffic offense and had his license revoked. He was put on probation after violating the terms of his penalty. This probably triggered the ICE investigation that put him behind bars.

When the Trump administration said they were going after the worst of the worst, I didn’t realize the worst of the worst meant those hard-working business owners guilty of traffic violations.

For years, a handful of racist politicians and people in power have been able to keep legislators from passing common-sense legislation to help people like Carlos, the so-called Dreamers.

Before we go on, I want to state for the record that, like most Americans, I support deporting drug dealers, rapists, and murderers. I know that not everyone who is in this country illegally is a saint. I believe that shoring up our borders is a good thing. And it’s easier to communicate, understand, and like a person when we’re all speaking the same language.

But like most Americans, I also support passing legislation to allow a person who was brought into this country as a child to be able to live and work in America in peace.

We can walk and chew gum at the same time. We can deport the actual worst of the worst while allowing those who were raised in this country to achieve the American Dream.

The fact that we don’t even attempt to do that makes absolutely no sense.

Why is it that if a sixteen-year-old holds up a liquor store, they could be charged as a minor and have their criminal record sealed when they turn 19, but a five-year-old brought into our country by desperate parents is considered a criminal for their entire life?

Make that make sense.

Obviously, when there’s video of masked ICE agents storming the streets, kidnapping and shooting people, people pay attention.

When arrests are made quietly, cases like Carlos Godinez barely make the news.

I only found out about his situation from an in-depth article from the Nebraska Examiner.

So, what happens if the courts decide that Carlos is to be shipped to Guatemala?

For starters, his restaurant shuts down. His employees who need their jobs to feed their families end up unemployed and perhaps on welfare. The state loses tax revenue,

His two children are traumatized and move in with family members who were born in this country or end up wards of the state.

You and I end up footing the bill to keep him in jail until trial, and the expense of sending him back to where he was born. A country where he most likely knows nobody and has no job opportunities.

Unfortunately, Carlos Godinez’s story is not unique. There are countless men, women, and children sitting behind bars waiting to be extradited to foreign lands where they haven’t lived since they were children.

Hard-working people will leave behind family members with U.S. citizenship, people who pay taxes, go to church, and mow their lawns.

Why do we want to send people like that away?

Make that make sense.

(See Carlos Godinez’s story: “Amid Support, Nebraska Restaurateur in U.S. Since Age 10 Ordered Deported)

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

Opinions expressed by columnists in The Daily Record are not necessarily those of its management or staff, and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. Any errors or omissions should be called to our attention so that they may be corrected. Contact us at news@omahadailyrecord.com.