A man who finished high school in the U.S. unaware until he began applying to college that he was not a legal resident has returned to the Pioneer Valley. That's after being deported to Mexico in 2019. Now he is continuing his activism on behalf of immigrant rights.
Eduardo Samaniego, who was a student at Hampshire College, returned to the Northampton, Massachusetts, legally in September while waiting for a ruling on his request for a humanitarian visa.
And Another Thing devotes Mondays to single interviews with people in western New England with unique experiences or challenges. The guest this week is Eduardo Samaniego.
Samaniego never hid his status, after realizing he was not a legal resident of the country. Without a social security number, he was unable to attend the University of Georgia as he had hoped. Instead, Samaniego accepted a full scholarship to Hampshire College in 2014. While attending school, he became an outspoken advocate for immigrant rights and organized demonstrations in Massachusetts and in Washington, D.C.
“I was, you know, young, and I thought I could do everything. But the fact that I didn't have access to education because I learned I didn't have a Social Security number was probably one of the most decisive points in my life,” Samaniego told And Another Thing. “But I learned to to think of it as a fantastical that had to be overcome.”
It was during a return to Georgia that Samaniego ended up in federal custody. He was first arrested after being unable to pay for a taxi, because he had left his wallet behind, but was transferred to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Samaniego estimates he was held in solitary confinement for more than a month, while fighting deportation.
“I really can’t remember. It could be more,” Samaniego told And Another Thing, “It is inhumane. It really is a form of torture.”