Not again!

I know I need to keep blogging even when nothing is really happening, but I often find myself the victim of writer’s block.  Luckily it’s not terminal. 

We received a nasty letter in the mail after the immigration hearing on January 30th.  Apparently, the prosecutor wasn’t satisfied that my husband plead guilty to Riot 2 when he did nothing wrong, and so he received an order to pay restitution.  Naturally I was quite upset, but who wouldn’t be; the amount demanded was $10,700 and change!  I called Brian’s cellphone in a blind panic, and much to my surprise he actually answered it.  I know much of what I said in the first 5 minutes was incoherent before he ordered me to take a deep breath and tell him what happened.  I took a steadying breath, and then another before I could tell him about the letter in my trembling hand.  “They can’t do this,” said Brian, “They only had 30 days to file for restitution.  We will motion to contest this.  I need you to fax me the letter and I’ll get started on this right away.”  Without a fax machine close at hand, I scanned the letter and emailed it to him.  My next question was an import one; as Alberto’s wife, am I obligated to pay this if he cannot?  The short answer is no.  At least I know that they can’t confiscate what I have to pay this ludicrous demand for money.

 I showed my mom the letter and explained that we would contest this order so that Alberto wouldn’t have to pay anything.  Almost in unison my parents exclaimed, “and how in the hell do they think Alberto will be able to pay this when he doesn’t have a job or even permission from immigration to stay in the US?!”  They were outraged at the very thought of ordering an innocent man to pay restitution for something he didn’t do.  I looked up the Register of Actions from Caña’s trial and discovered he was ordered to pay restitution although it doesn’t say how much.  Maybe they decided to attach the order for restitution for the brother most likely to be able to pay it in the long run?  Caña is set to be deported the minute his sentence has been completed.  Alberto says he doesn’t care if he has to pay it or not, but for me it’s the principal of the thing.  I am not going to allow the government, county or federal, to give my husband the short end of the stick.

Now I have to get some serious thinking done.  How in the world am I going to prove the good moral character of a man that doesn’t talk as a rule?  This requires some serious thought…

“The single most exciting thing you encounter in government is competence, because it is so rare.”

Daniel P. Moynihan (American Politician 1927-2003)

Ciao