An Autistic Young Man Loses His Caregiver as Immigration Crackdown Expands

Alfredo “Alex” Orellana, 31, was more than a caregiver for Luke Ferris, a 28-year-old with severe autism, writes Miriam Jordan for The New York Times. “The pair worked out at the gym, got tacos and played video games together. They exchanged elbow bumps.” Orellana had worked for four years for the Ferris family in Falls Church, Virginia. But now he is locked up in an immigration detention center nearly 2,000 miles away. A permanent U.S. resident, or green card holder, Mr. Orellana is facing deportation for a crime of “moral turpitude” -- a $200 offense eight years ago when, his wife said, he was struggling with substance abuse. After his conviction of stealing from a store, he went through rehab and became a peer mentor, then a caregiver.

The detention of Mr. Orellana and other green card holders is the latest sign that the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration is expanding far beyond people who are in the country illegally. Tasked with fulfilling President Trump’s campaign promise to carry out mass deportations, federal agents have been detaining permanent U.S. residents convicted of years-old minor offenses and moving to deport them. Luke’s mother recently flew to Texas to visit Orellana, who is being held at the El Valle detention center there. “How could anyone support getting rid of an amazing person providing a vital service to an American?” asked Ms. Ferris, who noted that her son’s care — and thus Mr. Orellana’s salary — is covered by Medicaid. Immigrants are increasingly relied on as caregivers for elderly and disabled Americans because of healthcare labor shortages. Orellana’s lawyer, Ben Osorio, compared arresting green card holders like his client to ticketing people for driving five miles over the speed limit, and fining everyone who jaywalks. “We are living in an era of maximum enforcement,” he said.