They are tearing good families apart with their racism and xenophobia. Not looking for violent criminals. Certainly not looking for tax dodgers. Just skin color and someone with no passport. The rest of the family is left here as they have that magic piece of paper. Makes the WWII Japanese internment camps look humane.
Why are we arresting and detaining people for a civil offense? This is absurd. These are not criminals. What a waste of taxpayer money. Not to mention the very real damage removing immigrants will do to the economy. They touch every part of food service. Farms need immigrants. Families need food. No immigrants = no food.
IR Immediate Relative: Spouse, unmarried children (under 21 years old), and parents of U.S. citizens No numerical limit None1
F1 Family Preference: Unmarried sons and daughters (21 years of age or older) of U.S. citizens 23,400 7-9 years2
F2 Family Preference: Spouse, sons and daughters of lawful permanent residents 114,200
F2A: Spouse and minor children (under 21 years old) 1 year
F2B: Unmarried sons and daughters (21 or older) 6-8 years
F3 Family Preference: Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens 23,400 14-15 years2
F4 Family Preference: Brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens 65,000 15-16 years2
1There is no quota for the immediate relative visa category, but it will take several months for USCIS to approve Form I-130 and transition to the embassy.
2Some countries like China, India, Mexico and Philippines may have significantly longer wait times.
To all the Mexicans workers in wineries and vineyards, send your information to Casa Madero in Parras Mexico, we are open to hire high performer talent!!!
Just a quick counterpoint as we all know (if we're willing to be honest) that indeed there are always two sides to every story.
I noticed from the article that Sotelo was "an upstanding member of his community with no criminal record, not even a traffic ticket", and that "Soltero was in the process of seeking U.S. citizenship"
The article even used the phrase "“Papers, please!” is a line for Gestapo officers in a World War II movie, not for Americans living in a free country"
Pretty incendiary reference.
What the article did not highlight is that if Soltero has been here since 1994, what has occurred between 1994 and 2025 (31 years!!) that has him maybe only now being "in the process of seeking citizenship".
For reference this is what I found: On average, it takes about 15 months to obtain US citizenship through naturalization after applying, from the initial application to the oath ceremony
There is no way 15 months is average. It takes *years*. If he came in 1994 there were backlogs, some had waits up to 20 years to just get a green card. Now they are deporting those with green cards that they need to keep for years before they even qualify to become a citizen. There are many different situations depending on when and how he came but it’s an extremely difficult and expensive process.
A valid question, though I have a friend in the wine community whose citizenship application has been "in process" for several years. We don't know when or how he may have applied, only the quote from a friend in one of the local news articles that he was in process.
This story is heartbreaking and deeply personal — even if not directly our own. Immigrant labor is the backbone of the American wine industry, yet remains unseen and disposable in the eyes of the system. What happened in Willamette isn’t an isolated incident — it’s a warning. For those of us who love wine, we can’t separate the romance of the bottle from the reality of the people behind it. Thank you for writing what many won’t.
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. What a disgraceful act to take this man. I hope that something can happen to keep him here. Unfortunately this is the hate and fear that many people voted for
Is anyone concerned that the U.S. president announces one policy but his subordinates continue to implement another they prefer instead? Who is in charge? More to the point, who in their right mind wants to get rid of human capital that benefits our society so much? And what/whose interests are they trying to advance by inflicting this loss and damage? Just a few questions I have.
Totally agree! And yet I think for some it boils down to the simplicity of the message: If someone is here without proper authorization, they are “illegal” and therefore “criminal.” Never mind that by starting a company he’s employing others, not taking jobs away, and that he isn’t “criminal” in any rational sense of the word.
Trump says many things. You can believe what he does. Agriculture is dependent on migrant labor, whether it's vineyards, orchards, dairies, vegetable fields, livestock farms, etc. if he eliminates migrant labor, agriculture will collapse. I know this from personal experience. This will not make America great. It will make America wonder what happened to it.
Heartbreaking.
Congress could quickly fix this issue if congress is pressured.
They are tearing good families apart with their racism and xenophobia. Not looking for violent criminals. Certainly not looking for tax dodgers. Just skin color and someone with no passport. The rest of the family is left here as they have that magic piece of paper. Makes the WWII Japanese internment camps look humane.
Why are we arresting and detaining people for a civil offense? This is absurd. These are not criminals. What a waste of taxpayer money. Not to mention the very real damage removing immigrants will do to the economy. They touch every part of food service. Farms need immigrants. Families need food. No immigrants = no food.
They're eating the cats. They're eating the dogs. They're eating our pets. Trump must go.
Category
Eligibility
Annual Quota
Est Wait Time
IR Immediate Relative: Spouse, unmarried children (under 21 years old), and parents of U.S. citizens No numerical limit None1
F1 Family Preference: Unmarried sons and daughters (21 years of age or older) of U.S. citizens 23,400 7-9 years2
F2 Family Preference: Spouse, sons and daughters of lawful permanent residents 114,200
F2A: Spouse and minor children (under 21 years old) 1 year
F2B: Unmarried sons and daughters (21 or older) 6-8 years
F3 Family Preference: Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens 23,400 14-15 years2
F4 Family Preference: Brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens 65,000 15-16 years2
1There is no quota for the immediate relative visa category, but it will take several months for USCIS to approve Form I-130 and transition to the embassy.
2Some countries like China, India, Mexico and Philippines may have significantly longer wait times.
To all the Mexicans workers in wineries and vineyards, send your information to Casa Madero in Parras Mexico, we are open to hire high performer talent!!!
Contact us in the following emails.
Nelson Reyna HR Manager: nelson.reyna@madero.com.mx
Arely Salas Recruter: arely.salas@madero.com.mx
We speak english; y español!!!
Just a quick counterpoint as we all know (if we're willing to be honest) that indeed there are always two sides to every story.
I noticed from the article that Sotelo was "an upstanding member of his community with no criminal record, not even a traffic ticket", and that "Soltero was in the process of seeking U.S. citizenship"
The article even used the phrase "“Papers, please!” is a line for Gestapo officers in a World War II movie, not for Americans living in a free country"
Pretty incendiary reference.
What the article did not highlight is that if Soltero has been here since 1994, what has occurred between 1994 and 2025 (31 years!!) that has him maybe only now being "in the process of seeking citizenship".
For reference this is what I found: On average, it takes about 15 months to obtain US citizenship through naturalization after applying, from the initial application to the oath ceremony
Just some more info to consider
There is no way 15 months is average. It takes *years*. If he came in 1994 there were backlogs, some had waits up to 20 years to just get a green card. Now they are deporting those with green cards that they need to keep for years before they even qualify to become a citizen. There are many different situations depending on when and how he came but it’s an extremely difficult and expensive process.
A valid question, though I have a friend in the wine community whose citizenship application has been "in process" for several years. We don't know when or how he may have applied, only the quote from a friend in one of the local news articles that he was in process.
This makes me absolutely sick! I don't understand it. Incomprehensible.
How could a man like this be considered some risk? Why wouldn't we be trying to expedite the process for becoming a citizen here?
It is men and women like Sotelo that make America great!!
This story is heartbreaking and deeply personal — even if not directly our own. Immigrant labor is the backbone of the American wine industry, yet remains unseen and disposable in the eyes of the system. What happened in Willamette isn’t an isolated incident — it’s a warning. For those of us who love wine, we can’t separate the romance of the bottle from the reality of the people behind it. Thank you for writing what many won’t.
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. What a disgraceful act to take this man. I hope that something can happen to keep him here. Unfortunately this is the hate and fear that many people voted for
This is beyond comprehension.
Is anyone concerned that the U.S. president announces one policy but his subordinates continue to implement another they prefer instead? Who is in charge? More to the point, who in their right mind wants to get rid of human capital that benefits our society so much? And what/whose interests are they trying to advance by inflicting this loss and damage? Just a few questions I have.
Totally agree! And yet I think for some it boils down to the simplicity of the message: If someone is here without proper authorization, they are “illegal” and therefore “criminal.” Never mind that by starting a company he’s employing others, not taking jobs away, and that he isn’t “criminal” in any rational sense of the word.
Trump says many things. You can believe what he does. Agriculture is dependent on migrant labor, whether it's vineyards, orchards, dairies, vegetable fields, livestock farms, etc. if he eliminates migrant labor, agriculture will collapse. I know this from personal experience. This will not make America great. It will make America wonder what happened to it.