One of the more heartbreaking casualties of President Trump’s hardline anti-immigration initiatives is Jorge Garcia, a 39-year-old father from Detroit who was separated from his family, including two teenage children, by ICE and deported back to Mexico despite being brought to the country by his aunt when he was 10-years-old. Because Garcia is too old to qualify for protection under DACA, he and his wife Cindy have spent over $125,000 over the years trying to find a legal pathway to citizenship, according to the Detroit Free Press. One person who was especially moved by the Garcia family’s plight is rapper Chamillionaire.
The “Ridin'” emcee apparently reached out to Niraj Warikoo, the Free Press reporter covering Garcia, to ask if he could be of assistance. Warikoo tweeted an email from Chamillionaire (born Hakeem Seriki) offering to help the Garcias financially “in Jorge’s absence.” That’s very generous because it sounds like the Garcia is going to need all the help they can get because Garcia could be barred from the United States for at least 10 years while his family fights to bring him home.
This is not a joke. I actually got an email yesterday from rapper Chamillionaire (of Ridin’ Dirty fame, the song that goes, They see me rollin,’ they hatin’) after he read my story on Jorge Garcia being deported. He wants to help him. pic.twitter.com/ZBJvcbTKRf
— Niraj Warikoo (@nwarikoo) January 18, 2018
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Garcia’s deportation gained national attention after footage of the father bidding his children a tearful goodbye while deported on Martin Luther King Jr. Day went viral.
Chamillionaire has an impressive history in regards to philanthropy. In September, the Houston native founded the Robin’s Heart Foundation to help with the Hurricane Harvey relief effort.
“Just like so many other people out there, I don’t want to sit on the sidelines, I want to do the most that I can to help,” the rapper said in a statement posted to his website. “I will be investing a lot of my own personal time and money to help, but there are so many people impacted by the flooding that I can’t help feeling like I need to try my best to do more.”
In December, the Grammy winner gave a presentation to the Houston Independent School District encouraging children to pursue careers in the tech industry.
“You can learn how to code today,” Chamillionaire told the kids. “You can build this same thing that you’re looking at every day, that you’re tweeting on, that you’re snapping on, and I feel like that conversation needs to be had.”
UPDATE: According to a quote the rapper gave to the Houston Chronicle, it doesn’t sound like Chamillionaire is stoked that we all know about his email. He also said that he hasn’t been put in touch with the Garcias, which was the whole point of reaching out. From Chron.com:
“(When I sent the email) I assumed this would be a private conversation, and I was hoping that I would be connected to the family, but unfortunately, neither happened,” Chamillionaire told Chron.com Thursday afternoon over email. “It looks like the story of this family’s unfortunate situation is gaining some traction, so at the least, I’m happy to see their story getting the attention that it deserves.”
