She's an undocumented mother of five American children whose husband, Carlos Gudiel, was just deported back to Guatemala on Wednesday.
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Eyewitness News obtained video of him in his home country as he was tearfully reunited with his mother.
"My husband is not a criminal," Rivera said, in Spanish.
Rivera said her husband did cross the border illegally twice but he doesn't have a criminal background. It may be hard for people to understand her situation, she said, but all they ever wanted was a better life.
"Unfortunately they don't have an income anymore," said Carlos Fernandez, a representative of FIEL Houston.
The immigration advocacy group FIEL was hoping to help the family stay together, arguing that Gudiel was the breadwinner and not a criminal, but they unfortunately lost the battle. It's a story they tell time and time again.
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"(The government) has been saying that they only target criminals, but the cases we have seen, none of them have criminal records," Fernandez said.
Right now FIEL is helping Congressman Al Green push for a bill that could possibly bring back deportees who have American children and no criminal record.
"Hopefully it passes because it's not the only case. This time it was him. Tomorrow it could be someone else," Fernandez said.
The Harris County GOP chair said the immigration system needs to be fixed regardless.
"We need to enforce the law," GOP chairman Paul Simpson said. "He's a grown man who made this decision after he'd been deported once before to violate the law again and then father five children, so I hope his family does get reunited with his family back in his home country."