Nunez is a hero | Letter
Published 2:42 pm Tuesday, April 22, 2014
As a former volunteer Firefighter and EMT with Orcas Island Fire and Rescue for the last decade, I would like to recommend and respectfully request that our community and Orcas Island Fire Department please consider giving my friend Ben Nuñez Marquez a “Public Service Award” for his outstanding and exemplary service of his selfless act, attempting to save a life in 2008. His “patient” was his 80-year-old neighbor who had suffered a stroke and was fearful of flying. With no family to assist her she trusted Ben to take her to the hospital.
Mr. Nuñez’s service to our community and acting as a good samaritan, with no consideration for his own welfare and livelihood, should have been received with commendation, not condemnation.
Though he was stopped at the Customs Border Patrol checkpoint in Anacortes where he was eventually detained, he did not lie, he did not run, he did not try to hide the truth: he stayed with her and discussed with CBP how to get this woman to the hospital prior to his being detained.
In my opinion this man is a true hero. Instead of accolades for his good deed, he was arrested, detained, and left to sleep on a concrete floor in a holding cell in the ICE facility in Tukwila. He has never had a DUI, been involved in a domestic abuse dispute, or physically harmed another human being. As a result of his decision to assist a person in need, his life has been nearly derailed and his future uncertain.
Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson stated on January 24, 2014: “An earned path to citizenship for those currently present in this country is a matter of, in my view, homeland security to encourage people to come out from the shadows.” Ben Nuñez stepped out of the shadows that day by assisting someone with a life threatening situation. He is someone who exemplifies the qualities of a good neighbor or an astute first responder. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of a public service award than our friend “Nunez.”
Julie Remington
Orcas Island
