8 A
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017
Highway 36 from 1A
said Chief Terry Ney with Lane Fire
Authority.
A Type 2 helicopter was called in
to drop water at the head of the fire
as crews from ODF, Siuslaw Valley
Fire and Rescue and Swisshome/
Deadwood provided hand crews to
work the flanks of the blaze, which
spread to approximately 2 acres.
“It mostly spread through the
underbrush, which takes time to
locate and thoroughly put out in
these kinds of extreme heat condi-
tions,” said Ney, who warned that
conditions aren’t expected to
improve until later today or this
evening, when light rain is expected
to return.
No structures were threatened
during the fire.
Dreamers
from 1A
After Trump rescinded the
Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals (DACA) on Sept. 5, those
similarities were put on hold as the
debate over immigration raged
nationwide, focusing on differ-
ences.
But the similarities, Javier and
Eales hope, is what will ultimately
lead to a permanent solution on
immigration. To get to that solu-
tion, they believe, an erasure of the
standard political monikers and
tidy talking points need to be set
aside.
DACA, an executive order cre-
ated in June 2012 by former
President Barack Obama, gave
children illegally brought to the
U.S. before their 16th birthday, and
who have maintained a clean crim-
inal record, the ability to gain a
work permit, subject to renewal
every two years.
The order, at least as written,
does not give these children,
known as Dreamers, any official
amnesty; DACA is a temporary
protection against deportation.
Javier is a DACA recipient. He
was nine years old when he came to
Oregon from Mexico. His uncle
brought him, not by jumping a bor-
der fence or making a long trip in
the sweltering desert, but by car.
Javier recalls, “It’s like I was
driving from state to state.”
Javier doesn’t remember much
about his time in Mexico.
Shirley said, “He’s told me sto-
ries where somebody got killed in
the street before. I’m sorry … It’s
traumatic.”
It was traumatic, but of his time
in Mexico, Javier said, “I remem-
ber working out in the fields with
my family.”
When he was in high school,
Javier fell in love and had a child.
This wasn’t an “anchor baby,” as
some would accuse, but a momen-
tary act of passion that is not for-
eign to any culture or race.
Abortion was never an option
for Javier, so he had to start work-
ing in the logging industry, a job he
still holds to this day.
At the time, he illegally obtained
a social security number so he
could remain employed.
“I didn’t want to do that,” Javier
said. “I got a different name to
work, to survive, for my family and
myself.”
DACA was a relief for Javier,
who was always afraid of being
deported. He signed up immediate-
ly.
Eales is also an immigrant.
In 1981, he came to America
from Canada on a work permit, but
he overstayed. He applied for a
new permit, “jumping through the
hoops,” as he called it, but the
process was long, and for years he
was in a legal gray area.
“I stayed past the visa because
this is America,” Eales said. “A
good percentage of the world sees
America as the hill on the city.”
He had a social security number
from the visa and continued to keep
paying his taxes, bouncing from
job to job as a self-employed, inde-
pendent contractor.
He was saved when, in 1986,
Congress, under President Reagan,
passed the Immigration Reform
and Control Act, which gave
amnesty to individuals who had
been living in the U.S. before 1982.
Eales, who has since moved on
to various successful careers in
technology and sound, feels safe to
openly speak of his past.
Javier, on the other hand, doesn’t
feel he has that luxury.
When asked why he wants to be
anonymous, Javier stated, “A lot of
people out there could hurt me.
That’s the life we’re living in right
now. If you say my name, they
might come here to my house and
destroy my property. I’m scared.”
But the polls, and the people
interviewed for this article, do not
necessarily bear these feelings out.
When Eales was first asked to be
interviewed for this article, he stat-
ed no one he knew, regardless of
political affiliation, was against
A Type 2 Helicopter drops water on a blaze that
began Monday near milepost 13 on Highway 36
near Deadwood.
As of Tuesday, Sept.
12, fire apparatus were
still in the Deadwood
area, including a water
tender for supplying
water to wildland fire-
fighters and a trailer-
mounted pump to supply
water from a local lake
to the tender.
Flaggers were con-
trolling traffic and the
roadway.
Though the wildfire
is out, travelers should
still consider taking
alternate routes due to a
number of road projects
along Highway 36 that
will continue through next week.
“Monday and Tuesday were
busy days on Highway 36, and the
fire was only part of that,” said
Angela Beers-Seydell of ODOT,
who explained there are three proj-
ects underway between Deadwood
and Greenleaf Bridge that will
cause delays through the rest of the
week.
Paving is taking place today
between Blachly and Triangle Lake,
along with chip sealing that will
close the eastbound lane just west of
Deadwood.
Thursday and Friday, paving will
continue between Triangle Lake
and Blachly Bridge.
“We’re hoping to have all lanes
In the case of Dreamers, their
legal status will be in constant flux
until congressional action is taken.
But getting Congress to act can
often seem like an impossibility.
“Unfortunately, it is obvious that
Congress is no longer capable of
doing anything constructive so it
opens the door to just such abuses
of power,” Zinn said. “If you
believe a president should have
such powers, then now you are
going to have to live with what use
the new guy makes of it.”
Eales was more direct:
“Congress is basically worth-
less, they’re so divided. Where is
the Reagan/Tip O’Neill? You might
disagree fundamentally on, for
want of a better term, left or right,
but the goal was to move us for-
ward and compromise. That I just
don’t see happening anymore.
We’re just at loggerheads and I’m
thoroughly
disgusted
with
Congress.”
While Republican President
Reagan and Democratic Speaker of
the House Tip O’Neill were able to
find bipartisan kinship during the
80’s, the current congressional cli-
mate is less than amiable.
Some of the problems with the
current Congress is the nature of
politics in America. For instance,
conservatives are often accused of
racism for not supporting the con-
tinuation of DACA.
Racism is alive and well in
America, as seen recently with the
Charlottesville marches and the
recent hate-filled sign posted on
Highway 101 in Florence, but out-
ward racism and implicit bias are
no strangers to any political persua-
sion.
Javier has seen racism first hand,
particularly with some of his
coworkers.
“They don’t say it to your face,
but as soon as you turn your back, I
can hear them sometimes,” he said.
“They think they’re better than me.
They say we take their jobs. One
guy said that to me, “Why don’t
you go back?”
But for every backhanded com-
ment, there are moments of support
as well.
“I am friends with people who
voted for Trump,” Javier said,
before explaining an interaction he
had with one of his coworkers. “I
asked him why, and he told me he’s
mad at Hispanics because they
think they don’t pay a lot of taxes
like he does. And I told him, I pay
taxes too. Yeah, there’s ones who
don’t pay taxes, but there’s a lot of
people here, Hispanic like me, who
do.
“I got it through his head we’re
not all the same,” he continued.
“He thought all Hispanic people
were here and not paying taxes, and
that’s why he voted for Trump. But
he likes Hispanic people. And I
believe him. He’s not racist.”
The two are close now, with his
friend bringing Javier lunch to him
every day. In fact, when his friend
was asked by management to leave
Javier’s logging crew to work at a
different site, he refused to go.
“I don’t want to do that,” Javier
recalls his friend saying. “I want to
go wherever you guys want to go.”
These interactions, Javier felt,
can help heal divisions.
It’s something that Shirley saw
as well.
“My dad worked with Javier,”
she explained. “And he heard some
other guys talking about ‘Mexicans
this and Mexicans that.’ And he
really put his foot down. Before
that they were those closed-minded
people. So, I think if people just
take the time to get to know each
other, you know, it would be differ-
ent.”
Eales also believed that working
and living with different cultures
combats racism.
When Eales was asked why
there’s so much focus on the
Hispanic community when it
comes to the DACA discussion, he
joked, “Obviously, you want me to
say race.”
“I don’t give a good g--damn
what the color of your skin is,” he
continued. “Ever since I was a kid
I’ve had Chinese, Indian and
Pakistani friends. I’ve hired people
from
China,
people
from
Guatemala, people from Mexico,
people from Iran, and even people
from Chicago. It’s simply about
ability.”
Eales believed that the focus on
Hispanics, and the often-racist
remarks thrown at them, would be
null if it was a different population
coming to America.
“If you had 1,000 people from
south of the border, and if there
were 300 million French Canadians
coming in, then we would be com-
plaining about the French
Canadians. There’s obviously, for
some people, the race issue, but I
don’t have a single friend who has
ever said that ‘Because they’re
Mexicans, they shouldn’t be here,’”
he said. “The economics distort the
system.”
Those economic issues, from
Javier’s perspective, are what moti-
vated the racist arguments volleyed
against him.
But time, conversation and
understanding helped temper those
arguments.
At least, temporarily.
The Dreamers are just an entry
point into the larger war over immi-
gration that encompasses issues of
employment, education, political
identity and global politics.
In Eales’ and Javier’s minds, if
Americans don’t work to find
broader solutions to these issues,
the fundamental roots of racism
will fester.
But to do that, some difficult
questions have to be raised.
In Part II of this story, Javier,
Shirley and Eales share their views
on these broader issues.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ELAINE DOTSON
Dreamers.
A recent POLITICO/Morning
Consult poll surveyed 1,993 regis-
tered voters and found that 56 per-
cent of Americans believe that
Dreamers should receive a path to
citizenship and 30 percent believed
that Dreamers should be allowed to
stay and work in the U.S.
Only 14 percent of Americans
believed that Dreamers should be
deported.
The Siuslaw News asked indi-
viduals who would be traditionally
thought of as “conservative” about
the subject, and support for
Dreamers was unanimous.
Florence resident Jimmie Zinn
said, “I cannot see how someone
who, prior to the age of consent,
was brought to this country illegal-
ly by their parents, can be consid-
ered a law breaker.”
“If a child is in the getaway car
while dad robs a bank, it does not
make him a bank robber,” Zinn
continued. “Destroying someone’s
life who grew up here, has lived
honestly and productively for
years, accomplishes nothing.”
Eales said, “It’s un-American to
have somebody (deported) who’s
been here and been productive and
not any trouble. I think it’s stupid to
stop, especially after we said we’d
let them stay. It’s just wrong.”
DACA, and how it was imple-
mented, is where the controversy
really lies for them.
“I do not believe a president, any
president, should have the authori-
ty to arbitrarily write new or obfus-
cate existing laws,” Zinn said. “Not
Mr. Obama and not Mr. Trump. In
creating DACA, this is just what
Mr. Obama did. The constitution
seems pretty clear that changes to
existing law should be the purview
of the congress.”
The history of DACA shows the
problems that Zinn spoke of.
In 2001, the DREAM Act was
introduced by Sen. Dick Durbin
(D-IL) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-
UT). The bipartisan bill called for
conditional residency for alien
minors, with a path to permanent
residency if certain qualifications
were met.
At times, both parties rejected
the bill, with Democrats filibuster-
ing the standalone law unless it was
attached to broader immigration
reform.
Many Republicans feared the
bill would encourage illegal immi-
grants into the country, who would
then force their children into the
system.
Both sides of the aisle worked to
change the bill for years, but it
never passed. In 2012, Obama,
frustrated with Congress’s inability
to come to a consensus, made the
DACA executive order.
In 2014, Obama looked to
expand DACA’s enrollment, along
with increasing border security. He
indicated this was due to Congress’
inability to pass a comprehensive
immigration plan.
Shortly after the planned expan-
sion, 26 states sued, stating it
would put undue burden on them.
An injunction was placed upon the
expansion, with appeals leading to
the Supreme Court. The court was
divided on the issue with a 4-4
vote, leaving the injunction in
place.
In June 2017, 10 state attorney
generals threatened to sue if Trump
did not rescind DACA. The deci-
sion had to be made by Sept. 6,
which led to Trump rescinding
Obama’s executive order on Sept.
5.
Trump did not rescind the order
immediately, giving it a six-month
phase out in an apparent hope that
Congress would come up with a
more permanent solution.
Trump has also indicated that he
would “revisit” DACA if Congress
failed to reach a consensus.
One day after Trump’s decision,
at least 15 states filed lawsuit
against Trump’s action.
Placing the legal arguments of a
president’s authority to make exec-
utive orders aside, the history of
DACA demonstrates that the orders
can easily become a political foot-
ball.
open by this weekend,” said Beers-
Seydell. “Next week, striping will
begin, which will again cause slow-
downs in the area.”
ODOT also plans to replace a
culvert at Stage Coach Road, mile-
post 9, which is expected to begin
Monday and last through next
week.
“Travelers should really try to
avoid Highway 36 for the next
week or so,” said Beers-Seydell.
GET TO KNOW
MEDICARE.
Spaces fi ll early. RSVP today.
Alison Garner, Licensed Sales Agent
541-505-6864
alison@garnersinsurance.com
September 19, 10:00am
Florence Senior Center
1570 Kingwood St., Florence, OR 97439
OPENING SOON
OPENING November 1, 2017 • Accepting Patients October 16
Dr. Sarah Rincker, DPM, FACFAS
4750 Village Plaza Loop, Suite 202, Eugene, Oregon 97401
541-203-7707
Get Results...List With Melody.
Melody Beaudro
Principal Broker
541 991-2151
Ocean View Dr #7400 –
Build your dream home to
accentuate the ocean, river,
and city views! Elevated lot
ready for your house plans.
Gated community of custom
homes and underground util-
ities enhance your living ex-
perience. Adjacent lot also
for sale. $110,000. #2760-
17457532
1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200
EMERGENCY SUTURING CLASS
to be held at the Florence Events Center during the
Be Ready – Storm Ready Preparedness Expo
September 23, 2017!
Please call the Siuslaw News at 541-902-3526 to sign up.
You may pay by credit or debit card.
There are two classes being offered.
Positions in the class are on a fi rst paid for, fi rst reserved basis
and classes are limited to the fi rst 25 paying participants in each class.
So don’t delay, sign up for a place now!
The class is at
11:00 AM AND 2:00 PM
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Cost is only $25.00
per participant!
Sponsored by:
Siuslaw News
Spruce Point Assisted Living and Memory Care is a 65-apartment Assisted Living facility as well as a
25-room secured memory care facility. Living at Spruce Point has many benefi ts such as
restaurant-style dining, housekeeping services, a full and thriving activities program as well as medical
management from an on-site nurse. Staff is available 24-hours a day using the latest technology in the
iAlert system. Spruce Point Assisted Living and Memory Care is proudly managed by Prestige Care, Inc.
Transportation
Resident Parking Available
Medical Transportation
Transportation at cost
Property Convenient to Bus line
Additional Amenities
Activities Onsite
Activities Off site
Devotional Services Onsite
Outdoor Common Areas
Indoor Game Room and
Common Areas
Beautician and nail-tech onsite
Other Services
Wheelchair Accessible Showers
Outside services management
(hospice, home health)
Respite Rooms
Aging in place
Just a “Stone’s Th row” Away!
3 375
7 5 9th St, Florence, OR 97439 • (541) 997-6111