00:00
Brother. Did you see Inventing Anna on Netflix?
00:03
It was like a limited series on Netflix.
00:05
So it's about a real woman.
00:07
She is actually an immigrant for Russia,
00:11
but she pretended to be German and she scammed a bunch of
00:15
high profile people here in the US.
00:19
And it's just basically about her life just scamming all these people
00:22
and she ended up actually going to jail for it.
00:24
She got caught, I don't want to ruin it for you
00:26
but she did get caught.
00:27
She went to jail but you know,
00:30
they did not deport her and now she's with an ankle monitor
00:34
on dancing with the stars.
00:36
So they got her doing the cha cha and everything on dancing
00:39
with the stars with the ankle monitor.
00:40
They even bedazzled the ankle monitor.
00:44
Yeah, they bedazzled it out for the show.
00:47
She served her time but she was never deported or anything.
00:50
While others like our next guest,
00:53
Annie Garcia got deported to Mexico for a similar reason.
00:58
Yeah, so we have Annie on Hi Annie.
01:03
Hello. Thank you so much for having me.
01:06
Thank you for coming on and telling your story.
01:09
so we'll just jump right into it.
01:11
So unlike Anna Delby,
01:13
you were deported and Anna Delve is on dancing with the stars
01:18
with an ankle monitor.
01:19
Do you feel like that?
01:21
It's fair for her to participate in a show like this?
01:25
Well, I think context is important when comparing our two cases
01:28
and my answer to that is yes and no.
01:30
Firstly, I was deported because I opted not to fight my
01:33
immigration case. As a green card holder,
01:36
I was convicted of similar crimes like Anna,
01:38
I opted not to fight my case although I had several grounds
01:41
for immigration relief because I was subject to mandatory detention as an
01:45
aggravated felon under immigration law,
01:46
which is the same thing that Anna should be subject to.
01:50
However, I can issue discretion as I have in Anna's case
01:53
to provide an ankle monitor on some type of public benefit,
01:58
maybe humanitarian reasons, et cetera.
02:01
So my my question being,
02:04
is it fair for her to participate from my perspective as an
02:08
individual? Yes, Anna is somebody that has served her debt
02:11
to society. She has paid for her crimes,
02:14
she was sentenced and I do believe that felon should be allowed
02:17
to reintegrate into society.
02:19
However, from an immigration perspective,
02:21
I say no, because what is a public benefit for Anna
02:26
who should be subject to mandatory detention like the rest of us
02:29
What is a public benefit in her being out while she
02:31
fights her case she doesn't have any dependence she has,
02:35
I believe no family.
02:37
And so when I compare that to my case,
02:38
I was a nursing mother to and a mother to five Children
02:42
who are United States citizens.
02:43
My kids ended up on public assistance after I was detained
02:47
and there was a public charge really to society once I was
02:52
detained. So when I compare those,
02:54
our two cases, do I feel that she's on an ankle
02:56
monitor? No. Do I feel that it's fair for
02:59
her to participate as an individual?
03:02
Yes, because she deserves the right to,
03:04
you know, she served her time and so yes and no
03:09
you know, different perspectives.
03:10
I see a lot of people upset with Anna or dancing with
03:13
the stars and I believe that that's displaced.
03:15
You should be upset with the broken immigration system that has not
03:19
held immigrants equally accountable.
03:21
Don't be mad at Anna.
03:21
Don't be mad at dancing with the stars.
03:23
Be mad at, I be mad at the Department of Homeland
03:25
that they have allowed her particular case to receive that that many
03:30
of us do not and that there are many more compelling cases
03:34
that should have been granted some type of discretion or relief that
03:38
have not for whatever reason.
03:40
No. Yeah. Thank you for again,
03:41
showing both sides. I really appreciate you breaking it down from
03:44
again, both angles and then you experience custody issues while being
03:49
separated across the border from your Children.
03:52
How did this impact you and your family?
03:54
I want to say that it's probably one of the most challenging
03:56
things that we went through as a family unit.
03:58
Ironically, one of the promises that ice made to me is
04:01
that by signing my deportation order was the fastest way to reunite
04:04
with my Children and I would be back with them within a
04:07
week and that obviously didn't happen.
04:09
It actually took me a year of fighting the,
04:11
you know, the family system and,
04:13
and for custody to be returned to me,
04:15
the family separation that we endured.
04:17
I mean, we're still healing from it six years later,
04:19
it's something that stays with you and especially even in my youngest
04:23
child who was just nine months old,
04:24
nobody really follows up on what happens to us or the things
04:27
that we deal with after deportation and not just us,
04:31
citizens that are related to the people that are being deported,
04:35
whether were parents, sisters,
04:36
brothers, spouses, et cetera.
04:38
Most definitely. And,
04:40
and are you comfortable telling us what it is that,
04:43
that you did? And like,
04:45
Yeah, so I I'm very candid about the crimes that I
04:48
committed. I pled guilty to several three separate cases of check
04:53
fraud, possession of forgery,
04:56
theft by deception. All fancy names for I was stealing
04:59
money from the companies that I was employed by do I have
05:02
a regret for those crimes?
05:03
Absolutely. I had a completely different mindset than I do now
05:06
and I was under completely different circumstances.
05:09
and I regret more than anything,
05:12
the ripple effect that those crimes had as well.
05:15
You know, for me to my family community,
05:17
the businesses, the victims.
05:19
But it's what has shaped me into where I'm at today and
05:23
to be able to advocate for people like me.
05:26
I know there's many people like me living in the US that
05:30
were childhood arrivals that maybe lack the education and awareness of how
05:34
sensitive, you know,
05:35
our situations can be.
05:37
And although those permanent resident cards say permanent,
05:41
they are not permanent and they can be taken away.
05:44
Thank you for sharing and being so open with us about that
05:48
And what are your hopes for the future Mexico?
05:50
Like both for yourself and your Children to continue healing and lighting
05:54
away for other immigrants like us,
05:56
whether it's lighting the pathway home to Mexico or a pathway back
06:00
into the US. I've tried to show other people like us
06:03
whether you know, immigrants or spouses of immigrants that there is
06:06
life on the side of the border.
06:08
You can succeed, you can find good employment,
06:13
you know, and a lot of times I know when I
06:14
was facing deportation, the idea of being here was scary because
06:18
every day you see in the media is that,
06:21
you know, the Mexico is not safe and poverty and there's
06:24
no jobs. And so I have tried to get that across
06:28
from my content thought there is life here.
06:31
It's a different type of life,
06:32
a different speed of life.
06:35
But wherever we are all together is home,
06:38
wherever your family can be together,
06:39
you can create a home.
06:40
Most definitely. And you know what a lot of people are
06:43
moving to Mexico from here.
06:46
So, but thank you so so much and we really appreciate
06:49
you opening up to us and being very transparent and I know
06:53
your story has probably already touched so many people.
06:57
And so thank you so much.
07:00
And where can people find you on social media?
07:02
I'm on tiktok, Annie,
07:03
GRCX. I'm on Instagram.
07:06
I have a youtube channel,
07:07
Patreon, I'm all over.
07:09
So Google An and my accounts will pop up.
07:12
Thank you. Thank you so much,
07:14
Annie. I appreciate your time.
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