Convoy to Tennessee Brings Immigrants To Shelter After Storm

Monday, September 19th, 2005

From Convoy to Tennessee Brings Immigrants To Shelter After Storm:

Like tens of thousands of New Orleans residents, Fredi Escobar fled the city on Aug. 28 with little more than the shirt on his back.

By the second week in September, after a 800-mile journey that first took him to Texas, Mr. Escobar had rented an apartment here and secured a job as an auto mechanic. ‘This is all we wanted — to work and get on with our lives,’ says Mr. Escobar, 32, heading home recently to have dinner with his wife.

This rapid rebound sets Mr. Escobar apart from thousands of evacuees who are still in shelters and surviving on aid from government agencies, churches and other organizations. Something else distinguishes him too: Mr. Escobar is an illegal immigrant.

Apparently the Latino community has taken better care of its own than the federal government has. Not too surprising…

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