When a neighbor, Natalie White, suffered a stroke it was Benjamin Nunez Marquez who agreed to drive her to the hospital. She was afraid of flying and Nunez volunteered – thinking he had nothing to fear. But in that act of kindness everything would change.

It was also an act that coincided with border patrol upping the ante at the Anacortes ferry terminal. Nunez was stopped as he and Natalie drove off the ferry and, when questioned, it became apparent that Nunez was not a U.S. citizen, thus starting him on a path including public outcry, an outpouring of support and a one-way ticket back to Mexico.

“He found out not just who his friends were,” said his supervisor Pete Helsell. “But that everyone was his friend,”

Nunez, as he is called by locals, was one of eight people taken into custody for possible immigration violations in 2008 after border patrol agents began questioning ferry riders arriving from the San Juans about their citizenship during “spot checks” at the Anacortes ferry terminal.

The incident caused an uproar in the islands’ communities and attracted attention from regional and national media. County Councilman Howie Rosenfeld was interviewed by National Public Radio. Rosenfeld conceded that the U.S. Border Patrol had the authority to conduct its inspections but wondered whether race may have been a factor as those taken into custody were Mexican.

Meanwhile, Nunez’s employers, Jack and Jan Helsell, owners of West Sound Lumber Company, hired lawyers and applied for a year-long extension on the deportation so that they could find someone to fill his position at the mill.

Local resident Elly Hoague helped to collect letters written by Nunez’s numerous friends on the island and there was even support from Congressman Norm Dicks and Sen. Patty Murray.

According to Jeffrey D. Jones, a public affairs officer for Border Control, if a person is found to be an illegal immigrant at a checkpoint they will be refused entry to the U.S. or put into removal proceedings. Once in the process of removal the person cannot apply for citizenship and their fate is determined by an immigration judge. Once they are deported, they can apply for legal status, but there is a time requirement dependent on multiple factors, said Jones.

Nunez said, if possible, he would apply for permanent resident status, but that, following his deportation, he would have to wait in Mexico for 10 years. In February his one-year extension was approved, but now Nunez is scheduled to be deported in four months.

But the Helsells have yet to find anything close to a replacement. After placing ads in various media they realized most applicants were either unable to operate the old-fashioned mill or could not relocate to the islands.

“He’s an important part of the business – we would be struggling to exist without him,” said Pete, Jack’s nephew who is taking over the mill business. “We needed an extension, but we should have asked for 10 more years.”

Life and loss

Nunez left Mexico in 1998 in hopes for a better life and he found one at the sawmill. He was 22 years old and spoke no English when he started the job. When Nunez came to the mill he worked as a helper to the main operator. When the other man departed in 2002, Nunez took on both positions. Over the years he learned to read and write in English and learned the trade through job training.

Nunez is now 36 and works as the sawyer, heavy equipment operator, mechanic, and delivery truck driver. He also manages lumber inventory, oversees the sawmill yard, cuts and delivers logs to the mill and produces cords of firewood.

“It was like being in school,” said Nunez. “When I first came here I did not know how to use a wrench, I had never driven a car or used a chainsaw. It sounds funny, but it’s true.”

It was also a job, he learned, of sacrifice and danger. In 2003, Nunez lost two fingers in a mill accident. Despite the hardships, he said he loves everything about the work and that there is nothing comparable in Mexico.

It’s been 14 years since he has been home and he’s unsure of what lies in his future.

Is there hope?

In June, the Obama administration said it would stop deporting illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. as children if they met certain requirements. It has also directed steps to shield those with clean records and community ties – a low priority for deportation. But, Obama has been criticized for an increase in deportations of illegal aliens in recent years.

“Slowly things are happening,” said Jack about immigration reform in the U.S. “But will it happen fast enough for us?”

The Helsells have little hope left for Nunez as time is running out. Short of a change in immigration law, the Helsells don’t know of any other solutions.

“He represents to me what America should be looking for in its citizens if it wants to be the best country,” said Pete.

When Jan talks about how important Nunez has been in their lives she runs her hand over a black and white photo of him. She will frame the picture and place it on a wall of the sawmill when Nunez is gone

“We’ll probably cry more than Nunez when he leaves,” said Pete. “He is pretty accepting.”

Perhaps it’s because his time on the islands has felt like a dream and he’s not surprised to find himself waking.

“There is nothing I can do,” he says with a shrug.

His brown eyes glitter as if there is more to say but the words aren’t worth spending because they won’t change anything.

Nunez may be deported in just a few months, but his mark on the community will not only be left in memory but in the beams of the Stage on the Green, on the planks of wood on the Channel Road Bridge and the barns and homes of various islanders.

“This was the best time of my life,” Nunez said.