Friday, Feb. 1 was a deeply sad day for our community. Eduardo Samaniego, a former Hampshire College student and activist with the Pioneer Valley Workers Center, was deported to Mexico, where he was born, but where he has not lived for nearly 10 years. While on leave from Hampshire and living in Georgia, Eduardo took a cab home and, having left his wallet behind, found himself at odds with his cab driver. The cab driver called the police, and Eduardo was subsequently arrested and jailed.
Upon his release, Eduardo was transferred from jail to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, and placed in detention. Despite repeated motions from Eduardo’s lawyers, letters from community members attesting to Eduardo’s character, and a national effort that garnered the attention of The New York Times and elected officials, last Friday, after 100 days of incarceration, Eduardo accepted so-called “voluntary departure” before an immigration judge.
This tragic chain of events was brought on by a series of the kind of injustices that threaten the lives of undocumented immigrants and ultimately affect all of us. Eduardo was most likely racially profiled in his initial arrest; ICE contracted with for-profit facilities that incentivize detention; it is believed Eduardo was subjected to abuse and neglect as his mental health deteriorated; the immigration judge declined to fully consider his mental health as a factor in his case. Even this lengthy list is partial, and I know others could add other examples of the miscarriage of justice in Eduardo’s story.
The human cost to Eduardo is especially heartbreaking. Since arriving in the U.S. at 16, Eduardo surmounted a series of daunting obstacles to eventually secure a full scholarship to Hampshire College. He worked hard in school, earned money and overcame the stigma of being viewed as an “illegal alien” to become a nationally recognized leader of undocumented youth. While at Hampshire, Eduardo became involved with the Pioneer Valley Workers Center, where he quickly emerged as one of the most prominent local voices advocating on behalf of undocumented immigrants and all people suffering racial and economic injustice.
It was in this capacity that I first met Eduardo. In early 2017, I sought ways to connect Congregation B’nai Israel with local sanctuary efforts, and eagerly developed a relationship with the Pioneer Valley Workers Center and its Interfaith Sanctuary and Solidarity Network. To gain more familiarity with the myriad issues facing undocumented immigrants, I attended a workshop on immigration law and procedure where Eduardo was one of the translators. At rallies that spring and summer in downtown Northampton, Eduardo was always on the mic, speaking with great passion, confidence and intelligence. Towards the fall, I took special notice when Eduardo courageously shared his story at length at a rally in support of DACA.
Listening to Eduardo, I realized that I wanted to make his story the centerpiece of one of the most important days on the Jewish calendar, Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the New Year. It is a time when we pledge both privately and publicly to live and act with greater integrity. Eduardo expressed himself that evening, and carried himself generally, with a special combination of vulnerability, open-heartedness and strength. I wanted to share Eduardo’s story with the several hundred people in synagogue on Rosh Hashanah as a model for how to see oneself and act in an unjust world, each of us from our own unique perspective and mix of life experiences.
When I called Eduardo to ask his permission to share his story, he was exceedingly generous with his time and insight. We spoke for over an hour, during which time I felt myself drawn to a young man of deep feeling, sage insight in excess of his years, great promise and ability. He is about five years older than my older son, and I could not help but see Eduardo in a similar light: a young person making his way in the world with a profound sense of independence, a heightened awareness of the brokenness around him, and a seemingly fearless commitment to being a force for healing and justice. And knowing that few people become independent completely by themselves, I was heartened to hear how Eduardo had developed an extended network of friends, compadres and confidantes, all of whom he spoke of with warmth.
I couldn’t ignore my own concern: Would Eduardo’s trauma catch up with him? Would he tire of being an activist? Would ICE arrest him? For the moment, I could ignore those questions and listen to Eduardo: his hope, his determination, his optimism.
And now, I shudder to think of how Eduardo is suffering. I can’t imagine his profound pain, even as I hope he is thinking of some way to move forward with purpose and determination, but truly, I have no idea. With reports of Eduardo’s deteriorating mental health, I wonder how and whether he will be able to recover. I hope that, somehow, it will be some comfort to him that our community will hold him in our prayers, wishing for his ongoing healing and wholeness.
I know that all of us who have been touched by Eduardo — whether through the Pioneer Valley Workers Center, Hampshire College, at rallies, through friendships or houses of worship — will continue to be inspired by his reverberating example to seek justice among people and communities who are similarly targeted and abused.
Justin David is rabbi of Congregation B’nai Israel, Northampton.