As part of Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations, La Casa de Amistad and the city of South Bend this week honored three people who’ve made a difference in improving life for immigrants locally.
As the Trump Administration touts mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, one of the honorees, Felix Marquez-Snyder, says it’s been a pleasant break from the stress. The John Adams High School Spanish teacher and his family came to the United States in 1991 when he was 16 to escape persecution in El Salvador’s civil war.
Marquez-Snyder and his family were ultimately allowed to become U.S. citizens but he notes Trump is turning away most asylum seekers today with its indefinite refugee ban.
"It's an awful time that we are going through and so with this recognition by the city, it makes someone feel good because at least here, we feel like we are not being punished for who we are," Marquez-Snyder says. "On the contrary, we are being celebrated."
At an event Tuesday night, the city and La Casa also honored Angelica Duarte and Juan Hernandez Jr. Duarte is the Latino Outreach Liaison at Saint Joseph High School, while Hernandez, a child of former migrant workers, was founder and former president of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County.
