Free TRAITORS by Gerardo Robledo Page A

her some ideas that might help including talking with the pastor of her church seeking support for Luis. She suggested that Zina try doing so with great discretion. They talked for a long time without noticing how late it was until Zina had to go home.
    Upon arriving home, everything was quiet. Her parents and brother were already in their rooms. She only wished them a pleasant night and retired to bed.
    “You already know that those are problems we should not get ourselves involved with!” said the father. “Today, immigration issues are under very complex debates and I, as a public figure, cannot take sides. Taking one wrong step could ruin everything.”
    “Yes, I understand… ,” said the mom. “But it is not a public matter. It’s just a matter of finding some legal help and perhaps more information. You can’t just refuse without thoroughly investigating first. Above all, do it for your daughter. You know how devastating it would be for her if for some reason this guy should be deported. I think she might do something crazy. Jack, if it is within our reach to help, please let’s do it.”
    “Very well,” he said. Let’s wait to get a little more information next week. For now, I don’t want this issue spoken about any further in this house. Spare me from the displeasure.”

In Search of Help  
    The family had also mobilized. Aunt Lupita went to the parish of Santa Rosa to find Father Carlos Gonzalez, the church’s pastor. She had known him for over ten years and had worked with him in group preparations for weddings. The priest immediately received her and listened to her story. The priest knew Luis quite well because he was an active member of the youth group, plus he was also a volunteer in preparing youngsters for confirmation. He knew for certain of Luis’s social conscience.
    “There is no doubt that Luis is a very good young man,” said the priest, “but such crimes are very serious before the law, even more so nowadays. There are so many racial conflicts. He should be more careful with those documents. The only thing I can do is submit a reference letter to establish his good behavior and his relationship with the parish, but before I can commit to present myself during the trial in his support, I must first discuss it with my superiors. The Catholic Church has already been involved in many conflicts over pedophile priests that we simply cannot afford to involve ourselves in more troubles. I’m not saying I won’t, but I will need authorization from my superiors to do so. I think we have enough time to get that authorization. For now, you can count on the letter that I will issue as soon as possible. You should speak to Mr. Daniel Mireles. He and Luis were volunteers at the American Red Cross and as far as I know, they participated in several events together. I think he can help some more.”
    With nothing left to do at the parish, Aunt Lupita began her search for Mr. Mireles to get the support she needed.
    She wasn’t able to find him until that weekend. She saw him by the exit on his way out after the 12 o’clock mass. She immediately approached him and began talking to him. Without much preamble, Mr. Mireles invited them over to his house to talk. Once there, Aunt Lupita explained the problem at length and talked about how Father Carlos referred her to him.
    “Indeed,” said Mr. Mireles, “we have worked on several missions together. I think my presence will not have much weight during his hearing. However, the one commissioned by the local Red Cross, Mr. Carl Rolmes, might be perfect for this. He was working with us on the catastrophe of 2005 in Grand Prairie, a Dallas suburb. On that occasion, we organized a caravan and provided support to residents for almost ten days especially when the river overflowed and flooded the streets. We were there throughout the whole course of helping the victims in refuge shelters. We helped residents clean their houses and streets. That was an