019 Mario Rodriguez

Note: This transcript was created by Descript A.I. and may contain errors.

[: 00:00:00

[00:00:37] It's a tiny little County down at the Southwest corner of Washington state, right at the mouth of the Columbia river. Hence rambled by the river. It's a small place. There's not a lot going on. We are rural we're based in fishing, logging, tourism, that kind of thing, small town stuff. And [00:01:00] we rely heavily on immigrant labor.

[: 00:01:03

[00:01:25] And I didn't think too much of it. I really didn't put too much thought into it. I especially didn't think it was going to impact my life. And maybe that was short-sighted of me. Maybe that was ignorant. I didn't feel like it was going to affect my community. I just didn't see the impacts that were really just around the corner.

[: 00:01:42

[00:02:03] And I think, you know, a lot of us are guilty of that, but the truth is we're lucky to be here. The truth is this really is a great country and people from all over the world want to be here and we're here. A lot of us talk about how we're the greatest country on earth. And I believe that's true. I don't really know what I'm basing that off of, but I feel like it's true in my heart.

[: 00:02:27

[00:02:57] My guest today is Mario Rodriguez. [00:03:00] Mario is an accomplished, educated kind man. And he's being kicked out of his home because he did not have the right paperwork. This imaginary line that we drew on the ground is determining this man's life. And I get it. I get it. Like there's complicated factors here.

[: 00:03:22

[00:03:41] I'm not an immigration expert. I'm just a guy. And, um, I'm just sitting down here today to talk to another guy who really needs our help and who's being treated unfairly and who has so much to offer society, but he's being thrown away. It's fucked up. It's been really hard for me [00:04:00] to get through this one because I don't know how I can help or if I can even.

[: 00:04:06

[00:04:31] I don't know how to solve these problems. I'm not claiming to know how to solve these problems, but I do know that if we all treat each other with love, things will get better. So leading up to this episode, I want it to not sound like an idiot. So I did a little bit of research on immigration and I realized it's a lot more complicated than I even knew, which.

[: 00:04:53

[00:05:15] Things get real complicated. There's different rules for different people. A lot of it was based in racist policies from the past. I don't have nearly enough time to cover all of that in this intro, but I just wanted to let you guys know ahead of time that there are resources out there. And I encourage you to go out and look at them yourselves.

[: 00:05:32

[00:05:52] It really captures this issue and I put a link to it in the show notes. Another good resource [00:06:00] is a New York times article posted October 2nd, 2019, my wife's birthday, shout out babe. It's called how ice picks its targets in the surveillance age. And this article really does a good job of kind of portraying the fear that was felt and probably still being felt throughout this community.

[: 00:06:19

[00:06:46] And if you are an immigrant in need of assistance or you want more information, I would definitely take a look there. I have provided links to all of these sources of information that I've just mentioned on [00:07:00] the show notes for this episode. So I got this book called, they take our jobs written by a Viva Chomsky, the name rung a bell, and I looked up a picture and it's just Noam Chomsky and a gray wig.

[: 00:07:12

[00:07:34] And it's a, it's a great read and I recommend it and I didn't get through the whole thing. I got only about halfway through, but I learned a lot just in a short amount of time. And it really kind of put a lot of stuff. In context for me, immigration is hard for me to understand because I, you have to think of it with two minds.

[: 00:07:51

[00:08:15] It's a, it's an issue of resources and resource allocation and all of that stuff just becomes very muddled. So it's, it's hard to be able to at the same time, understand the micro without forgetting the macro and vice versa. So I'm doing my very best to understand this very complicated issue. And I'm just trying to.

[: 00:08:35

[00:09:02] Yeah. I'm talking about the borders. They are just not that important to me. And I really don't think they're important to anybody when it comes right down to it, because it's just about resources. That's why the borders are important. Everybody wants what to do, but I don't know. I think we all should just love each other.

[: 00:09:18

[00:09:42] He's the guy who people call when they need help studying for their citizenship exam. Ironically, he's the guy you call when you need help, because everybody knows Mario is a good dude and he'll help you out. That's the reputation that he has established for himself in [00:10:00] his nearly two decades in his community.

[: 00:10:02

[00:10:27] And what is just without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with one of the nicest guys I've ever met. Mario Rodriguez.

[: 00:11:17

[00:11:21] Oh, Whoa. Wow. That's not that person. That's awesome.

[: 00:11:28

[00:11:31] Mario Rodriguez: [00:11:31] You'd want to come. Yes. My name is Mario Rodriguez.

[: 00:11:35

[00:11:55] And so that's why you're on the show today. And I, it's a [00:12:00] good opportunity just to get to know you as a person. So I thought we could start with a couple of questions about, you know, how you ended up in this community and what your, what your roots here are and how. You know who you are, who you are as a person.

[: 00:12:13

[00:12:16] Mario Rodriguez: [00:12:16] area? I haven't been here for 18 years and it comes, it's two reasons. I came here first because one of my brothers that I'm very close with is living here longer than myself. And the other reason is that a during the great depression, my grandfather worked by building the train tracks in this area, in this state by 1930s.

[: 00:12:46

[00:13:18] So we are in the middle.

[: 00:13:20

[00:13:24] Mario Rodriguez: [00:13:24] Uh, yes. Yeah. Well, my childhood was in different States in Mexico because of my father's job. He was a, a elementary school teacher and eventually a principal in Mexico. There is a system that is board in the school system with that is different than boarding schools in the us.

[: 00:13:47

[00:14:01] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:14:01] government

[: 00:14:01

[00:14:13] It have been in those schools that are, there were because some States didn't have. That those his calls anymore, but they were 28 boarding schools in the system. And my father was a principal in those words, in the schools. So he was transferred from one state to another, and then he wanted to be in the capital city because of my eldest brothers studies.

[: 00:14:40

[00:15:12] He was, he was a teen years all when he finished his for the grade in his hometown, which was all enough to be very old, to be in four grade 13, 18 years. Oh, 18, 18, 18 for 40 grade for forgo. That is a bit old. So his school teacher persuaded him to go to a big, the, where he didn't know it was right now is 15 minutes to travel from that town to the city.

[: 00:15:41

[00:16:12] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:16:12] Oh, okay. So let me get this straight you're uh, so your father was going through school as you were a small child still, right? No. Okay. So he was done.

[: 00:16:21

[00:16:26] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:16:26] teacher. So stayed in the system through yeah. All the way till he was running the show.

[: 00:16:31

[00:16:41] Oh yeah. So

[: 00:16:43

[00:16:50] Mario Rodriguez: [00:16:50] Yeah. Yeah. If I just wanted to have a true friends, not, not friends that would want to take advantage of my father's [00:17:00] position or my arm position in that schools well,

[: 00:17:04

[00:17:07] What, what is it that you do with your time?

[: 00:17:09

[00:17:33] Community in Mexico, even in the small towns, the smaller, the smaller, the town worst, but here we are. And I see a difference, a huge difference in even in, in the schools, in your workplace, in the health system also. So, eh, I did an even one, no, no, no one in my family knew about that. So it happened 10 years ago [00:18:00] that I use one day to say something.

[: 00:18:03

[00:18:30] Yeah. It's hard to support on support of people. So even when I told my brother, you know, I'm gay, he didn't even accept me really. At this point, half of my siblings, I told you we are 11. So only five of them know about myself being

[: 00:18:49

[00:18:50] Mario Rodriguez: [00:18:50] other than the brother and I have a sister who lives in LA and I thought she was going to be there more or penalty.

[: 00:18:57

[00:19:10] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:19:10] religious?

[: 00:19:11

[00:19:16] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:19:16] dealing

[: 00:19:17

[00:19:18] That's a fight because I'm Catholic. I used to go to the church, but being gay is when things separated to the other and used to, to keep that on that

[: 00:19:29

[00:19:40] It's, it's, it's hard to accept yourself when it, and when it's something you can't change, like your sexual orientation that puts you in a difficult

[: 00:19:46

[00:20:00] I just let them know, you know, I opened my door. You are welcome to come. But I won't change my, my religion. I will keep being Catholic is a way my father, my mother, eh, grew me up, so I won't change that. And they tried to persuade me to become more. Yeah, I know it's a job and they want something else. Yeah.

[: 00:20:25

[00:20:45] It says it right there in the Bible. Yeah. Like you can just be happy with who you are and be grateful for your gifts and, and, you know, rock what you got.

[: 00:20:53

[00:21:04] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:21:04] outside of this little realm that we're in

[: 00:21:06

[00:21:06] Yeah. Even my, my brother is more religious than myself. He goes every week to church, I. Well on weekends when I have time I call. But that doesn't mean that I'm a missing my believing site every day for eight to God, to the people, to the, how we are living right now with this COVID thing. And, and it's very hard, but I'm still, and God knows me.

[: 00:21:34

[00:21:47] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:21:47] Yeah. See, I did not expect this conversation to go that direction, but this is great. I love talking about this stuff and I could see it on your face that you do have that real connection to your creator.

[: 00:21:59

[00:22:06] Mario Rodriguez: [00:22:06] And religion is one of the hardest conversations in every. Yeah. Setting with the family, with the friends in the school, because I used to say, I don't talk about politics, religion, eh, when we are having a dinner, a good dinner, or because this is going to end in not good, eh, yeah.

[: 00:22:29

[00:22:29] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:22:29] never, but you know, it's good to talk about it sometimes because it, it does help people to, you know, formulate their own ideas. Okay. Especially on an outlet like this, where people, a lot of times I'm just babbling, you know, people know, I don't know what I'm talking about, but I'm just trying to be honest.

[: 00:22:47

[00:23:10] I don't even like to chant at football games. I'm worried it's going to brainwash me somehow. Like, uh, I'll do the wave, but you know, beyond that, no, go. Um, anyway, we're getting sidetracked. Can we, can we pick it back up where you're you're in Mexico, your dad's a principal and you know, you're a young kid.

[: 00:23:29

[00:23:32] Mario Rodriguez: [00:23:32] Well, I, my, all my mom's siblings are American citizens or permanent residents in California and Illinois. So there is a connection. My mom had that opportunity, but she just didn't. She wanted, but there is always a reason. So she just, she passed away a few [00:24:00] years ago.

[: 00:24:00

[00:24:31] So I could go and, and come back and go and come back again. But I use wanted to stay here. Yeah. You build a life here and it, my visa is part in 2010. I know that releasing my, or hiring a lawyer. Which I tried to do in 2010, I could, eh, fix my situation in a good manner. But eh, [00:25:00] when I went to see my lawyer, that lawyer, at that time, they didn't give me a good response.

[: 00:25:07

[00:25:31] And what did you do there? I was teacher's assistant. I was a migrant program, migrant education program, home visitor recruiter, a interpreter coordinator. So you

[: 00:25:44

[00:25:52] Yeah.

[: 00:25:52

[00:26:23] Hello. They end the day and I had to make funny faces to let them feel comfortable. And so providing quite a bit of

[: 00:26:33

[00:26:34] Mario Rodriguez: [00:26:34] Yeah. So, and I don't want to, to say that because it's not for me, it's the people who has to judge my, my performance at this school. Then I know I have, this is a great community.

[: 00:26:49

[00:27:15] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:27:15] there was a strong string of people picked up.

[: 00:27:18

[00:27:19] Mario Rodriguez: [00:27:19] peak these a small eight area, Pacific County being, or having a lot of places, but that's not the issue is Hawaii.

[: 00:27:27

[00:27:47] And then within six months it was. Really, really prevalent. Yeah. Did you feel like that when, when Trump

[: 00:27:53

[00:28:30] They discrimination through our, towards us. Yeah. So.

[: 00:28:36

[00:28:44] Mario Rodriguez: [00:28:44] Mexicans. Yeah. And you see now no other consequences now they are targeting Asian people.

[: 00:28:51

[00:28:57] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:28:57] when really influential people say stuff. Yeah. [00:29:00] Negative about big groups. It's there's downstream effects. Yeah. Yeah.

[: 00:29:04

[00:29:16] Eh, then I was moving from. Different schools in this, eh, but it's always at the high school, but I was moved. Could you pull that

[: 00:29:27

[00:29:28] Mario Rodriguez: [00:29:28] face? Eh, there you go. Perfect. I was moved to work in the middle of the school eventually, also in the elementary school. In ocean park. Yeah.

[: 00:29:39

[00:29:40] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:29:40] their money's worth out of you. Yeah.

[: 00:29:42

[00:30:11] Can you please go with me to the appointment. And they kept doing that for years and they still call me once in a while because they know that I'm not in the school anymore, but they still call me a call me for advice. Or a couple of days ago, I, I receive, uh, a message from someone who wants to became, become a citizen and wants to practice the test to become a citizen.

[: 00:30:35

[00:31:04] I gave the lectures, and then we answer that question. Because they used to memorize the answer, but they don't know the backgrounds. So I try to teach them the background so they know if they forget, they will remember, eh, how I taught them eventually.

[: 00:31:22

[00:31:26] So you would do that. And I imagine that's pretty hard when you don't have it as your first English as your first language was

[: 00:31:31

[00:31:42] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:31:42] So if you came 18 years ago, that was 2002,

[: 00:31:46

[00:31:47] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:31:47] 2002.

[: 00:31:48

[00:31:51] Mario Rodriguez: [00:31:51] Oh, it's 2003, 2003. Yeah. And then 2004, I just started working at the school. So I think

[: 00:31:58

[00:32:05] Mario Rodriguez: [00:32:05] the same time. More. My jewelry, your brother.

[: 00:32:08

[00:32:33] So we, we got to the long beach park where there was a father with kids and they invite us to have a basketball game among those kids. Was Jake, your brother and his friend. Dustin. Those are the two names. Dustin, uh, manly.

[: 00:32:52

[00:32:54] Mario Rodriguez: [00:32:54] don't remember. It's funny. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

[: 00:33:00

[00:33:07] Yeah.

[: 00:33:07

[00:33:30] And since I say hello to everyone, it happened in the post office, long beach post office. I get out of my car, someone called my name. And at the same time, when I was turning around, I was extended my, my hand to say hello to the person. So he was like in shock, like sort of price. So he had not sure option to, to shake hands with me.

[: 00:33:54

[00:34:22] Eh, their supervisor had to take the decision. So the decision was that I would have to go to a Northwest detention center in Tacoma where I spend about a month, eh, dealing with the immigration situation. So I stay there. How are the conditions there? It, fortunately, I can say that not always detention center.

[: 00:34:47

[00:34:51] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:34:51] might not be saying much.

[: 00:34:53

[00:35:18] Yes, because they charged, I think $300 per detainee at a

[: 00:35:24

[00:35:25] Mario Rodriguez: [00:35:25] Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So, yeah. It's like five star business. Yes. Our business. So by the way, I wrote here for you to see this is a little bag, but I could take, you can see there is that. Coffee tea. Oh, this is JL coffee. Yeah. Is you put in the hot water and you get a coffee, but it does sounds all right.

[: 00:35:48

[00:36:11] And in the kitchen or in the laundry and window leave

[: 00:36:15

[00:36:24] Mario Rodriguez: [00:36:24] sounds very sad. Yeah. I met people from many countries from India, Pakistan, a Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia, and I use

[: 00:36:33

[00:36:36] Mario Rodriguez: [00:36:36] because they divide us and they give you a new uniform is blue, green, and orange.

[: 00:36:44

[00:36:56] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:36:56] Oh, okay. So they got a little ratings. [00:37:00] the blues are pretty safe greens here. Maybe, maybe avoid the greens, but by the orange,

[: 00:37:06

[00:37:09] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:37:09] Yeah.

[: 00:37:10

[00:37:17] Mario Rodriguez: [00:37:17] bond or something when you are there, you are scheduled to have a hearing from the Josh. So you'll have to explain, and then you have the access to other telephone to contact your relatives, and then eventually to hire a lawyer.

[: 00:37:32

[00:37:59] Yeah. So [00:38:00] when those lawyers told me that it was possible, he said, it's possible. I don't know how they tell you now, because when I had my heat is my lawyer told me, my, my judge told me why you didn't fix your situation. I went and I have proved that I went to a lawyer. I need immigration lawyers in Portland.

[: 00:38:21

[00:38:51] Oh my goodness. Yeah. All very common. Eh, eh, when people came to the [00:39:00] park and said, how much would you grant it to, to be released? Yes. So how much. Are you going to pay 20,000 or 30,000? That's

[: 00:39:10

[00:39:12] Mario Rodriguez: [00:39:12] for that? So my, my lawyer propose, he said, Mario worked for the school system.

[: 00:39:18

[00:39:27] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:39:27] One of the major myths that immigrants don't get taxes. Oh, the only immigrants who don't pay taxes are the ones who aren't working. . Because the ones who work do pay taxes, they pay income tax, they pay federal income tax.

[: 00:39:40

[00:39:51] Mario Rodriguez: [00:39:51] it's according what they get in one year periods. So they pay accordingly. So there is no way. Yeah. Anyway, go ahead.

[: 00:39:58

[00:40:23] And when she hear that I was a working at the school that I was at the college at that time, attending college, taking classes at college and volunteering in many things. So at that time she looked at me and she observed me and then my lawyer proposed that amount and she said, that's very fair enough.

[: 00:40:46

[00:40:49] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:40:49] because you didn't fit the stereotype she

[: 00:40:51

[00:41:08] That's still there. When I fix my situation, they will return that money, all that good with, with interest. Nice. Yeah. When I get back to my pod and everyone was asking me quite what happened, what happened? Because in my they start, eh, when I got there, I was known for the teacher is when they told me that teacher.

[: 00:41:33

[00:41:40] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:41:40] when you were

[: 00:41:41

[00:41:50] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:41:50] would they have you in cells? Yeah. You're your blues.

[: 00:41:54

[00:42:20] I said, I think I said the percent of, for many things that happened afterwards because when I had my, eh, eh, hearing, when I was released, I still had a hearing. That'd be hearing. So they asked her,

[: 00:42:34

[00:42:36] Mario Rodriguez: [00:42:36] released? I'm in, in a, how they call it? I'm in limbo right now. Okay.

[: 00:42:43

[00:43:09] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:43:09] she said she, or she said, he said that they're not supposed to tell you right

[: 00:43:13

[00:43:14] They were suppose, but they weren't going to know because they, they are changing and they have to analyze to read carefully. They didn't

[: 00:43:22

[00:43:23] Mario Rodriguez: [00:43:23] justification. Other than that, it's just the way that they were starting working at that

[: 00:43:28

[00:43:30] Mario Rodriguez: [00:43:30] cases.

[: 00:43:31

[00:44:00] And he, he used to tell me Mario fight until then don't make the mistake I made. But I know that it was hard. It was so stressful living in this situation.

[: 00:44:11

[00:44:14] Mario Rodriguez: [00:44:14] very stressful. And I, I received the response after three days. The response was no. Uh, he explained many things, but eh, and I have tell people that when I receive a letter from the department of justice, every I used read the main thing.

[: 00:44:32

[00:44:53] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:44:53] And I guess you probably know, it's not going to change the

[: 00:44:55

[00:44:57] So I told my lawyer, my lawyer told me [00:45:00] you get that communication. So we went to the code of appealings, which is in, in, in Virginia. So he prepared the case. The case was sent over there and they deny my case again, on

[: 00:45:13

[00:45:17] Mario Rodriguez: [00:45:17] So they, they read the, all my file and they said, no, because Mario can work in Mexico.

[: 00:45:23

[00:45:38] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:45:38] you were trying to S what exactly were you applying for seeking asylum?

[: 00:45:41

[00:45:45] So then they, they caught of appealings they say no. And in addition to the previous judge, they added more things. So then the last resource is a nine Silkwood, which is in San [00:46:00] Francisco, in California. So I hired a different lawyer. So my new lawyer, uh, he told me that, eh, he found several inconsistencies in the.

[: 00:46:12

[00:46:42] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:46:42] And is that true? Even in Biden's America,

[: 00:46:45

[00:46:52] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:46:52] It seems like they certainly changed a lot with the last judging

[: 00:46:57

[00:47:11] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:47:11] yeah.

[: 00:47:11

[00:47:29] Mario Rodriguez: [00:47:29] Yeah. Yeah. And we know that all these immigration situation is not about democratics or Republicans is every everyone.

[: 00:47:37

[00:47:48] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:47:48] and he was a pretty hardcore Republican

[: 00:47:50

[00:47:54] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:47:54] make sense to me because of the fact that, you know, a lot of I, in my mind, I associate [00:48:00] the Republican life with like a rural life, which is a lot of times based in agriculture, which is fully dependent on immigration from Mexico.

[: 00:48:08

[00:48:14] Mario Rodriguez: [00:48:14] And we know we, we need each other. We can say, Oh, American need us. We have to say, we need each other. In the summer

[: 00:48:23

[00:48:38] Just a couple of years earlier before Trump's immigration policies took effect. There was. Fruit rotting on the ground, as far as you could see in both directions there, no one, no one to pick it. And granted, that's not a great system anyway, that, that exploits these workers. But I don't know. What's I don't know if that it's any better to deport

[: 00:49:00

[00:49:00] Mario Rodriguez: [00:49:00] Yeah. And so someone has to do that job.

[: 00:49:04

[00:49:14] Mario Rodriguez: [00:49:14] lives. Yeah. And, and I understand that that is the purpose of the people coming here to work. I know my situation is a little different, but I'm still here.

[: 00:49:24

[00:49:41] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:49:41] that's another myth anyway, that that immigrants take American jobs.

[: 00:49:46

[00:49:54] Mario Rodriguez: [00:49:54] they, yeah. Watch that documentary in one Eastern state, they [00:50:00] just started fighting or taking people from the jails to go and work in the fields and all of them, they just quit the very first day and use Guan.

[: 00:50:10

[00:50:16] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:50:16] just would rather sit in jail than go do that work. Yeah. Yeah. Because it's not easy stuff, but it seems like it's, it's kind of a win-win. If, if you're able to take one of these jobs endure probably horrible living conditions for a time, send money back home where it's worth way more and build your life home and then go back eventually.

[: 00:50:38

[00:50:58] Mario Rodriguez: [00:50:58] is some it's [00:51:00] quite, you say illogical, but it's unfair at the same time, because I, I think I is not myself to say it, but I think like the deserve.

[: 00:51:09

[00:51:35] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:51:35] So you're bringing cultural enrichment as well.

[: 00:51:37

[00:52:00] [00:52:00] The, the proper, uh, performer performance, you will find that. So I have my radio shows. That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. I had to leave the program that show because I ha I had classes at college that they, so I had to balance them the site.

[: 00:52:19

[00:52:23] So like, are you still able to do the stuff with the college? Are you still able to find work? Are you still able to support yourself? How much has this affected your

[: 00:52:31

[00:52:44] He, he went and his only toy, and this is what is happening to me.

[: 00:52:49

[00:52:51] Mario Rodriguez: [00:52:51] calling high schools, I'm still working, uh, eh, the hotel businesses. And I'm still there. I'm still working at [00:53:00] college. Um, Just trying to wait until my situation gets solved and just keep contributing. I'm I'm a, there is an organization that is called Pacific County immigrant support, and this organization West great.

[: 00:53:18

[00:53:39] And then they, they wanted me to be part of the board of directors. So now I'm part of the board of directors. I help them interpret, translate, being a liaison between families and the organization. And that's what I'm doing right now. I'm going to do provide a soon training. No, [00:54:00] you're right. For Latino people, because people need to know what to do in case they are detained by ice, that they don't make the same mistake.

[: 00:54:10

[00:54:18] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:54:18] cops. They are

[: 00:54:20

[00:54:24] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:54:24] for them too. Yeah. Like, they'll be nice until they don't have to be nice. I

[: 00:54:27

[00:54:40] Eh, so what's the

[: 00:54:42

[00:54:46] Mario Rodriguez: [00:54:46] detained? Well, now is there is they, they have 24 hours to study where you are and what you are doing, and you'll have two seconds to act. So the, my advice is use a [00:55:00] response. What you have to respond. No, not provide any information. Do not your name.

[: 00:55:05

[00:55:31] It's not immigration. Judge is asked to be, eh, eh, How they call it, uh, superior court card like that, not immigration because immigration judge can sign a paper and they put that and he said, and they tried to confuse people. Uh huh.

[: 00:55:50

[00:55:57] Mario Rodriguez: [00:55:57] to give up your rights.

[: 00:55:58

[00:56:21] So odds

[: 00:56:23

[00:56:43] Mario Rodriguez: [00:56:43] situation?

[: 00:56:44

[00:57:16] Give they deposit money for you to buy things in the commissary or to get even money for making phone calls. Now they have video conference inside the detention center, which we didn't have when I was there, but they have been a huge support for me. So this passive PCAs is what we call it in for short.

[: 00:57:39

[00:57:56] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:57:56] I really, I agree. I don't know a whole lot about [00:58:00] immigration and I really started researching it in earnest when I started learning about your case and.

[: 00:58:06

[00:58:12] Mario Rodriguez: [00:58:12] up complicated. It's

[: 00:58:14

[00:58:34] I feel like most people don't want to talk about it. Yeah. Anyways.

[: 00:58:37

[00:58:54] Jeff Nesbitt: [00:58:54] almost a year to wait. Yeah. Oh, that's kind of nice.

[: 00:58:57

[00:59:20] I just start all the way from scratch. But what we want at this stage is to gain time.

[: 00:59:29

[00:59:38] Mario Rodriguez: [00:59:38] home? Yeah. Yeah. It's one third of my life here is, is I will have.

[: 00:59:44

[01:00:12] I got the bank book, Thor, Bancor, Ben Hur vanco. I remember that movie classic. I watched the movie. I finished. If I have seen the movie 50 times is few number, but when I call Newman, right,

[: 01:00:27

[01:00:30] Mario Rodriguez: [01:00:30] Well, there'll be Ben, who is with a charter Charlton. I get those guys confused. Yeah. And they release a new remake, but I still prefer the 1950s, but the book is so beautiful.

[: 01:00:44

[01:00:50] Jeff Nesbitt: [01:00:50] reading the

[: 01:00:50

[01:01:00] Jeff Nesbitt: [01:01:00] Yeah. I read this book last summer called the mitos it's um, um, I think it was, uh, uh, what's the guy's name?

[: 01:01:08

[01:01:13] Mario Rodriguez: [01:01:13] stories, stories, and you can use in

[: 01:01:17

[01:01:22] Mario Rodriguez: [01:01:22] of flaws. Yeah, but reading in English is very hard for me still. I start reading and getting a headache cause paying attention.

[: 01:01:32

[01:01:43] Jeff Nesbitt: [01:01:43] low active attention is really calorie,

[: 01:01:46

[01:01:50] Jeff Nesbitt: [01:01:50] the active conversion in your head or like, do you think in Spanish though,

[: 01:01:54

[01:02:05] So I started writing words. I don't understand, but I said, no, I'm going to read it. I live the worst. I do nurse. Doesn't understand. And then I'm going to read it again. Taking the time to take notes. That's how I study and exactly. And, um, but another favorite book of mine is donkey hotter. Oh yeah. Yeah.

[: 01:02:26

[01:02:32] Jeff Nesbitt: [01:02:32] stuff. But I noticed that about older books, there's so much slower than, than a modern contemporary writing. Like it takes a third of the book to get all the, all the setup out of the way. And like once you know, the characters, then the good stuff starts.

[: 01:02:46

[01:03:00] Mario Rodriguez: [01:03:00] Yes. Interesting. But going back to Vancouver is amazing book.

[: 01:03:05

[01:03:22] Jeff Nesbitt: [01:03:22] That's okay. Um, well, I just had a question. It was on the tip of my tongue. I lost it. Oh yeah. So it seems like your, your stress levels are probably through the roof, given their legal problems and the fact that you're restricted in what you can do with your time.

[: 01:03:40

[01:03:48] Mario Rodriguez: [01:03:48] We know, I use knew that they were still around, but I don't believe people sometimes because some people, they use it, mostly Latino people because Latino people don't [01:04:00] understand the way the government works and they use, watch a patrol.

[: 01:04:05

[01:04:21] Jeff Nesbitt: [01:04:21] yeah. Yeah. And you probably even know some of

[: 01:04:23

[01:04:29] That's very bad to feel that, eh, yeah. That's not good. It go in my car every morning. I feel that someone is followed with me. Oh my God. This is so horrible. Yeah.

[: 01:04:41

[01:04:49] No, no, no.

[: 01:04:50

[01:05:04] Jeff Nesbitt: [01:05:04] brains are very good at spinning stories and

[: 01:05:07

[01:05:17] And I'm doing volunteer activities on Fridays. This coming Friday, I told you I have this training. So always doing something, visiting a family, delivering things.

[: 01:05:29

[01:05:33] Mario Rodriguez: [01:05:33] other people. Yeah. And, um, I just don't use to say people, or you do these for me, or you got this for me because of me.

[: 01:05:42

[01:05:47] Jeff Nesbitt: [01:05:47] Wow, Mario, this is a pretty, you have a really incredible story and it's, I, I, I want to be able to help you. I want, I would like to help. I don't know what to do.

[: 01:05:57

[01:06:10] What we are doing and what we are not doing. And we agree that if there is a bad Latino, they don't use the set up to be here. People are just people. Yeah. Yeah. So, so if, if people American people know, because I have met people that, uh, we talk about that we don't pay taxes, that we still leisure. There are many people that still believe that.

[: 01:06:32

[01:06:39] Jeff Nesbitt: [01:06:39] Yeah. I think that's important and probably really powerful because when you don't see it and you don't have exposure, you're not out there doing the research, you just don't know. And then it becomes really easy to be ignorant without.

[: 01:06:51

[01:06:58] Mario Rodriguez: [01:06:58] show. Thank you [01:07:00] for inviting me and for having me here. Do you

[: 01:07:02

[01:07:03] Mario Rodriguez: [01:07:03] while we're here? No, I think that's the important thing was the immigration thing and I think that's well, thank you for being

[: 01:07:12

[01:07:12] It's it really seems obvious to me that you add a lot of value to this community. My wife works with you or working

[: 01:07:19

[01:07:22] Jeff Nesbitt: [01:07:22] great. Oh yeah. She mentioned also that you got hit by a car. At some point she broke her pelvis and um, when she was in recovery, she was just barely able to walk.

[: 01:07:32

[01:07:39] Mario Rodriguez: [01:07:39] I was Keith . Five years ago and he broke my two legs, uh, eh, bounces posed full. And I was, eh, one year, eh, have GRE in recovery in surgeries. So I have my legs, reconstructed plates, [01:08:00] screws, and

[: 01:08:01

[01:08:02] And I still have them down, man. So I imagine it cold weather and that kind of stuff

[: 01:08:08

[01:08:12] Jeff Nesbitt: [01:08:12] God, yeah. That's double broken legs here that people, we gotta help. We gotta

[: 01:08:18

[01:08:27] He loved dogs. Yeah, me too. Yeah. I love dogs. Yeah. They're pretty

[: 01:08:31

[01:08:37] Mario Rodriguez: [01:08:37] Oh, he was my neighbors doc. I was friend of his, some territorial, the spear, but he was tying his chain. And so he was my fault. And I told the, the owner, it was my fault because he killed him.

[: 01:08:52

[01:09:16] Don't love kids. It's, it's

[: 01:09:18

[01:09:35] Thank

[: 01:09:35

[01:09:53] Jeff Nesbitt: [01:09:53] I think we're all lucky to be here. Yeah. I don't. Yeah. I don't think you're any more lucky than anyone

[: 01:09:58

[01:09:58] Yeah, [01:10:00] that's right.

[: 01:10:01

[01:10:23] We're losing good people from our communities. There's lots of pros make it. One of the things we care about. All right. It's been a pleasure guys. I love you.

[: 01:10:35