LEAGUE CITY — The 17-year-old’s lifeless body was frozen in a sitting position in solitary-confinement at the Galveston County Jail.
Arturo Chavez’s back was flush against a 7-foot partition for the cell’s shower. A blue blanket was twisted into a noose, with one end wrapped around his neck, the other tied to a shower head.
He apparently hanged himself about 48 hours after being arrested for what started as an illegal left turn.
I have a son, he is almost seven, I can’t imagine him risking his life, crossing the Rio Grande, at the tender age of 13, hoping to attain the American dream. This is a story that exemplifies a crisis with our Southern neighbors and with our broken immigration system. Yes, its true, albiet he did it without proper papers, this boy risked his life to come here to create a better life for himself and for his family, imagine the inner strength it must have taken to make such a journey.
Arturo Chavez, 17, after being arrested for making an illegal left hand turn, reportedly panicked, attempting to flee from his jail cell. According to jail officers he was tasered and clubbed while attempting to escape over a fence.
From all accounts, he was a model immigrant, taking classes to learn English, proud of his Mayan heritage but also proud to be here in America, his ankle braclet displaying the red, white, and blue colors. He worked hard as a bus boy, hoping to move up to waiter. People will point out that he came here “illegally”, that he should not have been driving without a valid drivers license, and insurance. I agree with all that, but what I am wondering, is where is our soul as a nation, that we don’t raise this child up, praise him for risking so much, for being so brave to strive for the American dream as a mere child. How many teenagers do you know that exhibit such desire to better themselves and better their loved ones?
Those who knew Chavez said, like many undocumented immigrants, he feared any run-in with authorities as it would likely mean he would be deported.
He left Central America when he was 13 and wanted more out of life than he could get with tips loading baggage at a bus station.
Relatives say it took him nearly 15 days to get to Houston, including sneaking into Mexico and riding a passenger bus north.
He crossed the Rio Grande and hiked through South Texas.
Human smugglers demanded $3,500 to guide him, a hefty sum met with help from family and friends.
In Houston, he was known for his hustle and held out hope his improving English skills would get him promoted from busboy to waiter.
Chavez’s death was a mystery as much as a shock, said Mario Garcia, who owns the restaurant where Chavez worked.
“I don’t understand how you can go from making a mistake to losing your life, I’m dumbfounded by it,” Garcia said. “There are two sides to every story, and the truth is probably somewhere right in the middle.”
$100 sent home weekly
The kid known by his family as niño, Spanish for boy, had come a long way since leaving his indigenous village. He was sending home at least $100 a week to help his mother, father and sister.He was not only working full time, but attending Clear Creek High School’s program to help newly arrived international students.
He wore woven bracelets made of blue and white yarn — the colors of Guatemala’s flag — as well as an anklet with the U.S.A.’s red, white and blue.
“He was very proud of his Mayan heritage,” said Elizabeth Laurence, one of his teachers. “He was a feisty young fellow, popular and wanted to learn English very much. He wasn’t timid; he tried to use it.”
Things were going well with his girlfriend, Jhoseline Martell, whom he met at school.
As the police cruiser’s lights flashed behind him near Louisiana Street and League City Parkway, Chavez dialed Martell on his cell phone and stuffed it in his pocket.
“He said the police have stopped me, just listen,” recalled Martell, 15.
He normally rode a bicycle to avoid such trouble, but he had recently bought a used green Honda sedan.
He had no driver’s license, no insurance and what turned out later to be a fake identification card.
He was arrested and taken to jail. His mugshot was taken while he wore the red shirt from his job as a busboy.
Whilst I cannot condone anyone driving illegally I think we can respect a young man working hard to provide for his family and to better himself.
What a sad loss of a young life.
What type of people came to America? You had to be strong. The weak and ill died on the journey. You had to be willing to work hard. You had to be a risk taker. Those who didn’t want to take the risk stayed home. Brave. Not a quitter.
These qualities made America great. What if the pilgrims didn’t want to take the risk and stayed home? What if those at Jamestown thought it was too hard and gave up? What if Bill Gates had stayed in college and gotten a secure government job with health insurance and a retirement program? What if Stevie Ray Vaughan stayed in school?
People like Arturo Chavez fit right in with that bunch. He took a risk. He suffered temporarily with the hope of a long term reward. He worked hard, long hours for little pay. Sure, some immigrants get on a plane, are served a soft drink and are given a pillow and blanket, and they contribute in their way. But it’s those risk takers that made this country what it is.
But he’s illegal, they’ll say. In a country that was created by an act of treason, I guess he has even more in common with those that made this country great.
There is no logic, zero, in a position that anyone capable of killing themselves thereby deserves some type of amnesty from prosecution for crimes committed.
Alternately, maybe you’re saying that laws are unjust if some of the people who break them become distraught and commit suicide. There’s no logic in that either.
I’m sure some number of American citizens have killed themselves after losing jobs that they would have kept had we not become deliberately flooded with illegal aliens. I’m sure many an unemployed American became despondent over it.
Actions have consequences. While crossing the border illegally, if it was such a struggle, the thought must have passed through his mind “this is wrong”. If it wasn’t wrong, it wouldn’t be such a struggle. When one knowingly does something wrong, one should expect consequences. The degree and severity of those consequences will vary from not harsh enough, to way too harsh, but only a complete fool doesn’t realize that the consequences will not always be the same. Yet this young person continued with his illegal crossing into the US. Tough lesson, and the real sad part is that most who cross into the US illegally do not have the capacity to learn from the lesson.
Note: Your screenname is offensive, so it’s been altered. Additionally, your comments will go into moderation so that the handle can be changed. Thanks.
El Guapo is a Social Darwinist.
And the name calling begins.
Lighting a memorial candle for Arturo Chavez and his family. May the next life be kinder. God bless.
Not a name…a tradition and a term, sir/madame.
Social Darwinism
–noun Sociology. a 19th-century theory, inspired by Darwinism, by which the social order is accounted as the product of natural selection of those persons best suited to existing living conditions and in accord with which a position of laissez-faire is advocated.
“where is our soul as a nation, that we don’t raise this child up, praise him for risking so much, for being so brave to strive for the American dream as a mere child.”
Praise him for paying smugglers $3500 to get here?
Praise him for driving without a license?
Praise him for pursuing short-term profit even if he had to break the law?
Praise him for abandoning his own county and leaving it to the bandits who run it?
I didn’t come here to disrespect the dead, but PRAISE him? You must be joking. Pity maybe, but you want to PRAISE him?
Reading the story I note a few things you didn’t highlight :
His parents are SUING us over his death. This is the type of sick entitlement that your attempts at charity and welcoming bring.
He resisted arrest and fought the police.
He was in solitary confinement – which had to be due to bad behavior AFTER his arrest and confinement.
Rick, it could be this child was mentally ill. People who kill themselves generally are.
Why was a 17 year old minor sitting in a jail??? Why was he not in a juvenile detention center with others his own age?
I can not even begin to imagine the despair and hopelessness this youngster felt that led him to take his life. Another of many sad, sad stories.
The Marine that was the first killed in action in Iraq has some similarities to this story in that they both came here when they were 13. How differently the stories turned out, the Marine became legal and served in the US armed forces while this young man felt as if he had no hope and committe suicide.
There are some really good comments here and from everyone. El guapo, I was particularly impressed with what you had to say. All of this serves to point out that there are no easy answers.
For those suggesting staying home and fixing your own country…my original folks came from England during the 18th century. I guess I could say the same thing to them. Stay home and fix what is wrong with England. I don’t think so.
As for a revolution in some of these Central American countries and Mexico– do you really mean that SC and RB? Ever thought how destabilizing that would be to not only this country but also the entire western hemisphere? We are still suffering from the effects of that happening.
kgotthardt, 26. August 2008, 8:53
Rick, it could be this child was mentally ill. People who kill themselves generally are.
How do you know that he was mentally ill? There is nothing that says that in the article.
I’m not quite sure I get the whole “praising” part. We should be praising those that break the law? Would you praise your child or spouse for doing the same things that he did? I feel sorry for this family and for the fact that this young man felt he had no alternative but to kill himself, but saying that we should be praising him is wrong. Were this any a child that was here legally, would you be saying the same thing? By your logic, we should be “praising” the terrorists who attacked on 9/11 because “they risked so much”.
You Wish,
And there’s nothing in the article that said he was NOT mentally ill. I think anyone that has attemepted or did commit suicide has some serious mental issues. Would you NOT agree?
Given the circumstances this child was in, having been caught driving without a license, without insurance, having false documentation, panicking and allegedly running from the police, he surely knew that his dreams were over. Suicide in this situation does not necessarily equate to a “mental illness”. Additionally, he was extremely young, teenagers often do not completely understand the totality of taking your life, he was in a very vulnerable place and saw no way out. For those of you who say we should not praise him, I wonder, did you ever walk in his shoes, or any child like him? He risked his life, refusing to resign himself to a life of abject poverty, all this by the ripe old age of 13. He was going to school, working, not only supporting himself but his family. Yes, we should punish him for his inner fortitude (sarcasm here).
“In a country that was created by an act of treason, I guess he has even more in common with those that made this country great”
Wonderful comment. We have really whitewashed the history of this country.
Sometime Mr. Soy, the right thing can be a struggle. Certainly woman’s sufferage was, certainly unions in the late 1800’s which ended child labor and indentured employees were, certainly WWI and WWWII were and certainly the civil rights movement was. I don’t recall any of those movements being particularly easy, so would that make them wrong?
The current struggle is getting the latecomers on board regarding enviroment issues. Oh, pardon me, “Climate Control”.
At the very least, I would feel safe assuming he was severely depressed–and for good reason!
Hey, why aren’t the suicides of US Citizens who see the American dream slipping away, losing their homes, losing their jobs, marriages crumbling under financial strain, etc. being talked about here? Each is a tragedy, yes, but a tragedy of cowardice. I guess this is more “blood” on the hands of HSM, and others who just want US immigration laws enforces.
When is the term “personal accountability” going to enter the lexicon of the debate? The law is the law. Disobey the law, pay the price. This young-man chose a permanent solution to a temporary challenge. This isn’t civil disobedience. If you object to immigration laws, there are mechanisims to change them. HSM objected to an official policy put in place by the Chief of Police, that was contrary to US Law. They used the political process to change what they objected to, and did so quite effectively I might add. I say effectively, because they defeated the well-funded political force which was opposed to their efforts, a force that openly advocated disobeying US law, violating US sovereignty, and from a lot of independent reading done on my part, was aligned with anarchist, marxist revolutionary organizations. In this struggle, HSM was the “good guys” in my book.
Yes, it is a shame that this young man chose death over deportation. I imagine the thoght of being seperated from his girlfriend broke his heart. But, teens go through this every day, when their parents move them to other cities and states. It strikes me as this teen did something impulsive. The fact that he was here illegally is just a side-bar to the conversation. I’ll pray for his soul, but will also give thanks that while driving with no license, he didn’t kill some other teen, and cause great heartache to their parents.
Ed
I understand where you are coming from however, it feels to me that this country is focused soley on the illegal immigrant as opposed to those that attract them and support them once they are here. Once again, I will say until a CEO of a major company is video’d doing his/her perp walk and it is broadcast on FOX News with photos on the front page of the WSJ and NYT AND that person goes to Danbury (at the very least) we will make progress.
There are fewer illegal employers than there are illegal immigrants. Any statistician will tell you via pareto charting, the illegal employers are your biggest opportunity for success…
1) Both are equally as illegal
2) Continue to vote Republican to assure that scenario to NEVER happens
3) Where is the personal accountablility in our business leaders.
Again, it irks me when others are held to a standard we choose not to hold ourselves to.
PS – NOT supporting ilegal immigration, but think the approach should be more balanced and strategic….
You Wish,
Your analogy is completely illogical.
Juturna,
Eloquent, but are you assuming that not enforcing our immigration laws is “the right thing”?
I’ll save the moderator some time and alter my name myself. (I’m not that emotionally tied to it anyway.)
Actually, if you think about it, people kill themselves every day for many reasons, and people between 10-20 years old? Forget it. There’s so many weird things floating around their head to begin with because of hormonal changes, mental illness doesn’t even have to enter into it, although mental imbalance could have been a problem here. What I’m curious about is…is there an attempt to insinuate that this young man offed himself because of immigration enforcement in any way? People are arrested every day, and few of them off themselves. I’m thinking that’s why this story is posted here.
And Juturna,
I couldn’t agree with you more about having employers do the perp walk for really causing the problem in the first place. We did it for Sarbannes-Oxley, why not this too!
Thank you Soy for renaming your moniker.
“From all accounts, he was a model immigrant”
Immigrants that came here legally would probably not feel the same.
If you choose to break the rules then you must be prepared to accept the consequences when you are caught.
I suspect his incarceration didn’t HELP his mental health.
And whether teens are hormonal or “weird,” their issues are mental health issues. The brain, part of the body, goes through changes and should be checked up on. If the brain is tired or stressed, like the rest of the body, it will be more open to falling ill.
“As for a revolution in some of these Central American countries and Mexico– do you really mean that SC and RB?”
Yes. Social progress will never occur there if they keep being rewarded with remittances for sending their poor here.
It’s pretty well known that the last election in Mexico would have gone the other way were so many of their people not squatting over here.
From the linked article:
“At one point, when the holding-cell door was opened, Chavez bolted for freedom, according to a police report.”
LOL! So he “bolted for freedom”? How about, he tried to escape? What a load that article is.
Who is to say that his strides to be a model “citizen” wouldn’t have been taken into account? Consequences for your actions is PARAMOUNT!!! Without them, there is no deterrent for behavior.
If you come here ILLEGALLY, you have to know that you may be deported at a moments notice. If he had not been driving he would not have been stopped. If he had not been here ILLEGALLY, he would not have been stopped. My guess as to why he was in solitary is because they didn’t want to mix him with general population while they were awaiting transfer to a juvenile facility. I don’t see anything about how long he had been at the facility. This could have happened late in the day or in the evening. He may have been put in solitary for his own protection.
Consequences for your actions, whether it is ILLEGAL aliens or those who enable them. Until those who are involved are punished, this will continue.
Juturna and Ed, you are both right. We need to go after both the “illegal” aliens and the “illegal” employers. The point of all this is stopping unlawful behavior.
I too think it is a sad day when a young “adult” (not a child in my opinion at 17), decides to commit suicide for any reason. I object to the implication his death should be used as a martyr symbol, to sway people’s opinions and sympathies (a low unethical tactic) that they should condone and accept “illegal” behavior. That is a tactic a terrorist organization OR SOCIALIST PARTY would use to achieve a political OBJECTIVE. Yes, we can feel sorry for him and his family, but we can also support and defend the law and Denocracy for the reason it was created.
You say our immigration system is broken, because it does not let anyone into the country who wants to come here illegally. I say your ethics and understanding of Democracy are broken when you advocate we should not uphold law, allow un-controlled population growth and “illegal” immigration to the point it destroys our very society, simply because you alway feel sorry for the people who you politically want to support (the minority in the Democracy), and cannot muster any emotion or concern for the people you politically refuse to support (the majority in the Democracy).
This debate will never end as long as you refuse to support the law. Supporting the law means supporting only “legal” immigration and supporting control of the population growth rate consistant with the economic needs and social stability needs of the nation and the Majority of the Democracy.
If this were a young man that was “legal” it would not change my sorrow for his decision to take his life.
I pity the people affected by his “illegal” decisions as much as I pity the people affected by his “illegal” decision to take his own life. A decision I would not recommend that anyone choose.
I think all of you (pro-illegals) should re-examine your ethics, and understand what your actions are doing to destroy our democracy and our nation. You will be held accountable to the law for your actions regarding this someday.
Helloooo Medic! Glad to see you joined the debate over here. Step lightly there are snakes in the grass .
I do not always agree with medic, but very good points are often made.
Just a side note, a point of interest if anyone out there is a guitar player. This is how Roy Buchanan died. He was picked up in Herndon for public intoxication. It was 20 years ago this month. He was later found hanging in his cell in the Fairfax County jail.
Michael,
Are you suggesting I am a terrorist sympathizer, or that I use tactics akin to a terrorist? That is simply too bizarre to address. I am not “pro-illegal”, that is a word used by people who believe there is a simple answer to this issue of immigration. No one is pro-illegal Michael, I am simply pro-reasonable,responsible, and humane solution oriented. You choose to ignore the very cogent arguments and facts that others put before you, instead, you cling desperately to your belief system. I believe the immigration system is broken and has been broken for some time. This boy killed himself because he saw no hope in front of him. It all liklihood this belief was based on the fact that he was here “illegally” and he, like thousands upon thousands of other young people, have to live in the shadows, all the while working hard and striving to be productive young people in a system unable/unwilling to incorporate their very presence.
PWC has tried it your way, WASTING millions upon millions of tax payer dollars on a resolution that has served only to divide us. While the senior day care center is closed, at risk group homes threatened, and now possibly, the rainbow riding program, people like you sit happy, not a care for the “legal” citizens your misguided resolution has left in its disasterous wake.
“Yes. Social progress will never occur there if they keep being rewarded with remittances for sending their poor here.”
Something more ominous is the fact that parents are sending their kids over here and contributing money to coyotes to fascilitate it. I don’t buy that it’s for a better life. I think it’s more for that $150/week they got. Sad to say, but this poor kid appears to have been nothing more then a paycheck to his parents in Guatemala as indicated in their lawsuit:
“claim mental anguish and lost support of well over $75,000 exclusive of costs and interest against the defendent.”
I don’t buy the mental anguish crap. You can’t have much mental anguish for your 13 year old child if you pack him up and pay a coyote $3,500 to ship him illegaly to another country.
This quote from him:
“He said, ‘Tell them I love them, and I’ve always tried to be a good son. I can’t take it anymore.’ ”
Tells me his parents were the biggest contributor to his suicidal mental state.
Elena said:
“This boy killed himself because he saw no hope in front of him.”
Bah. This boy killed himself because he was nothing more then a paycheck to his parents. EVEN IN DEATH. Read the laswuit and think about his choice of words in his last call.
“Just a side note, a point of interest if anyone out there is a guitar player. This is how Roy Buchanan died. He was picked up in Herndon for public intoxication. It was 20 years ago this month. He was later found hanging in his cell in the Fairfax County jail.”
I thought Roy was picked up in Reston? INHO Greatest Guitarist who ever lived.
And what the heck happened to the board? we’ve returned to the dark colors!
Black is beautiful. I did have an identity crisis when I first arrived and thought I had typed the wrong address.
Thanks Michael, I have already been “bitten” by the snakes in the grass 🙂
Elena,
It isn’t clinging to self belief, but following the law. The system isn’t broken, the laws are not being enforced. No one should be able to come to this country ILLEGALLY and expect the same treatment as those who followed the path to citizenship. The nation is too PC to say what it really is, ILLEGAL aliens coming to America for the American dream that they do not deserve. In response to your PWC remark, ILLEGAL aliens didn’t appear overnight and it si going to take longer than overnight to solve the issue. As I have stated before, give the resolution 5 years to have a FAIR chance to work, if at that time, nothing has changed and the ILLEGAL aliens have not left PWC or the schools are no longer crowded, then I will be the first in line to say it hasn’t worked. Think of this as planting corn, you plant it and it takes time for it to mature before you can pick and eat it. We just put the seeds in the ground when it comes to the resolution. They are starting to poke through the ground, but it is going to be a while before we see the tassels and the ears of corn. Things take time and this is one of them.
Without consequences for the employers who hire these people, this will continue. Once employers are held accountable, ILLEGAL aliens will cease to cross the border because they know they do not have any enablers left.
I am for humane immigration as well, but that doesn’t include absorbing the 20+ million people into the US population. There has to be a deportation process and then re-entry LEGALLY.
This is another case like the one in Orange County where the sheriff’s department settled a case out of court with ILLEGAL aliens because the SD was doing their job by running off the ILLEGAL aliens. The SD is responsible for enabling the law breakers and have let down the citizens of Orange County by settling this case. Again, the PC police have caused more to enable the ILLEGALS!!
Rod Anti has passed over to the “DARK SIDE” 🙂 The resistance was futile.
“Black is beautiful.”
I agree. Easier on the eyes.
A post I made on the other side:
Is this a bad thing? Only if the employers are not charged as well.
It is careless to assume that this was a suicide as opposed to a possible homicide. I hope an independent investigator examines the evidence in order to preserve impartiality.
If you remember, about a month ago, Ronnie White was strangled in his cell. Nobody other than PG County police officers could have possibly committed the act. The impunity of the act is deeply troubling.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GHve7o3XIA
If our elected officials can lie through their teeth about WMD’s in iraq and throw away the lives of 5,ooo+ servicemen, 100,000+ iraqis without any consequences. Who is going to care about one dead immigrant?
Medic
“ILLEGAL aliens coming to America for the American dream that they do not deserve”
What do you think of all the illegal aliens who came her from Europe in the 20s’? People think it was a minority but it wasn’t. There were some years in which illegal aliens were about half the total of the new immigrants to this country.
Who deserves the American dream?
For many years all these immigrants (both legal and illegal) were not considered real Americans because to be part of the American Dream. Read the Lost Battalions which chronicles the stories of new immigrants fighting in WWI. They were told that to be part of these country they had to sacrifice lives, salaries, culture, etc, but after the war they were still treated as foreigners.
Greetings Sr. Medic, I am a snake but I haven’t bitten you yet. Might not. Are you tasty? I have been looking for fang marks on you but see none. I get first strike.
One area where reform is needed is how many people we let in and how long it takes. Our needs as a work force are different than they were 20-25 years ago. If our laws didn’t need reform then we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
I’m busy with kids Medic and Mando. I promise to respond later tonight.
Mando, you bring up an interesting view point, I will address it later.
There are a lot of different angles in this story with blame to share, however, anytime a young person dies its a loss.
I assume the 17 year old was in solitary because first, he was a juvenile and cannot be mixed with adults and second, if they had knowledge he was suicidal, such individuals are placed by themselves.
I do wonder why the parents sent the younger son at age 13 to the States. Who allows a child at such age to do this alone? Where was the older son then I wonder?
Like others, I too, want to see CEO’s held accountable for hiring illegal aliens. They are easier to target and still reach the same goal of not attracting illegal immigration.
While everyone should be treated in a fair and humane manner, to blame the system in total for this young man’s death definitely overlooks some aspect of personal as well as parental responsibility.
Clinical depression is a mental illness. Situational depression or adjustment disorder has to do with mental health, but would not be perceived by most to be a true mental illness. Agreed, though, any kind of depression requires help.
The main difference TH is that they were not expecting a handout. The ILLEGAL aliens today get welfare handouts if they happen to pop out a baby. The 14th was NOT designed to give the ILLEGAL aliens children automatic citizenship. That is not what the framers used it for when they approved it.
Immigration in the 20’s can not be compared to what it is today because there are MANY different circumstances in place today that were not in place then. Many welfare benefits that are paid by taxpayers were not in play at that time.
Yes, many were still treated as second class citizens, but those who came here as ILLEGAL aliens in the 20’s did ASSIMILATE to the new country. Those coming here today do not.
Jake I have them on my ass from TH and Elena 🙂 I made a post on another blog and have been lambasted for making a tongue in cheek remark that was sarcastic. No need to continue to rehash it here on this thread since it is not pertinent to this discussion.
Lucky Duck,
I agree, where was the parental responsibility? They should not have let their son come here ILLEGALLY. The dream is to big to be passed up. Employers need to be prosecuted for the enabling they do.
/\/\3|)iç 64
You are misinformed about welfare benefits!!!
The framers of the constitution did not design it to give children born in the US automatic citizenship????? They were illegal immigrants if I recall. Their children were all citizens. This land belonged to the Native Americans and it was taken by your ancestors. They were all ILLEGAL!!! Ask any Native American if they do not believe that to be the truth.