Personal Narrative: My Father's Injustice

The rings of metal cut into his skin, stinging like acid. Fear and hurt filled his heart. He was on his knees, feeling defeated and humiliated. At that moment, he was no longer my father, he was another undocumented man, set to go to a nearby detention center.
I was eight years old when my worst nightmare almost came true. My father was arrested and almost deported back to Ecuador. I was in school when I was suddenly pulled out of my class. On his wrist, angry red lines circled his wrist. The cuffs were gone but in his mind, he would always remain in chains.
During former President Bush’s time in office, ICE had a strong presence within our community. In the news and through the word passed on by family and friend, we were alerted of the multiple raids that occurred in our grocery stores, churches, and workplaces. When ICE raided our home in search of someone who once lived there years ago, it seemed as if there was no safe place. While some ICE officers searched our homes, my father was cuffed and forced to kneel on the floor facing the wall. One man out of the group of ICE officers stared into my father 's eyes. He looked past the lack of documentation and stared into the eyes of a hardworking man with a family to support. He encouraged the other officers to …show more content…
The summer before middle school, my mother’s cousin, who had just arrived from Ecuador, tried to molest me. Never had I felt so dirty and disgusted with myself. I had no one to turn to and because I escaped before anything else happened, I had no significant proof, who would believe me anyways? I tried so hard to keep myself put together but I eventually broke. I began to self-harm in order to cope and even plotted the most painless way to die. I informed myself about depression and suicide and hid it perfectly. It wasn’t until I met one of my best friends, Jennifer, that I slowly began to look for