The recent arrest and deportation of two LDS Spanish-speaking branch presidents underscores the ongoing debate between justice and mercy on immigration issues.
Manuel Antonio Carias-Odonez, a Guatemala native, served as president of the South Cache Spanish-speaking branch in Hyrum.
Carias-Odonez was arrested May 20 and put in jail for two weeks. After many investigations related to his case he was sent to Arizona and finally deported to Guatemala on June 13.
“It is sad … especially for his family, friends and branch members,” said Israel Sifuentes, a neighbor in Hyrum.“You don’t expect that good people could be sent to jail, and drastically separated from his family. It’s hard for all.”
The deportation came after the Carias-Odonez family had attempted to become permanent residents.
Almost at the same time, another branch president was put in jail as a consequence of ignoring a judge’s decision given in 2008 to leave the country.
Felix Joaquin Hernandez served as a president of the Eastridge 9th Branch in Draper.
Tomas Hernandez, a new resident and close neighbor, said, “I didn’t know him well … but I can say that he was a nice gentleman. He was always involved in different community activities.”
Utah residents see the immigration problem as a challenging situation that needs to be confronted quickly. Latino organizations and different sectors of society have asked for reforms that could fix the problem of illegal immigration.
“It’s a difficult situation [illegal immigration], but I don’t think that massive deportations is the right way of dealing with the problem,” said Hyrum Bennett, a business owner in Orem.“We believe that obedience to the laws of the land are necessary to maintain control in society, but I think that we can apply the law on illegal immigrants with compassion and understanding.”
The deportation of the branch presidents happened days before The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reaffirmed its position on immigration, with a statement published on June 10.
“The history of mass expulsion or mistreatment of individuals or families is cause for concerns especially where race, culture, or religion are involved. This should give pause to any policy that contemplates targeting any one group, particularly if that group comes mostly from one heritage,” the statement read.
The official statement recommended that the role of securing the borders and enforcing immigration laws should be assumed by the federal government.
“The Church has expressed its views on immigration and I fully agree with them,” Bennett said. He also emphasized that reform should be made to maintain order in society while preserving human dignity.
“Our system has flaws and hurts both legal and illegal immigrants,” he said. “We were created as a nation by immigrants. Immigration is our lifeblood.”
