Benjamin Nunez Marquez has spent the last five years not knowing when he will be deported from the country. He lives a life of uncertainty, but with a recent letter signed by U.S. senators and state representatives one thing is clear; there are people fighting on his behalf.

On April 2, a letter was sent to the Secretary of Homeland Security asking for another year-long stay for Marquez, known to his friends as Nunez. The document was signed by Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Maria Cantwell, Rep. Rick Larsen and Rep. Jim McDermott.

The letter stated, “The abundant correspondence from constituents indicates strong community support for Mr. Marquez in his home community of Orcas Island … We also understand that Mr. Marquez fulfills a vital role at a local saw mill that provides important services and economic activity to the local region.”

Nunez works as a sawyer for Jack and Jan Helsell of Westsound Lumber Company on Orcas Island.. He has worked for them for nearly 15 years. In 2008, while taking his ailing 80-year-old neighbor Natalie White to the hospital in Anacortes, Nunez was picked up by Customs and Border Patrol. Lacking proper immigration documentation, he was ordered to be deported.After receiving a year-long stay last year, Nunez is now again facing deportation this spring.

Over the last several years, Nunez’s employers, Jack and Jan Helsell hired lawyers and applied for those temporary year-long extensions on the deportation so that they could find someone to fill his position at the mill.But the Helsells have yet to find a replacement.

The letter also states this problem, “As we understand it, the legal representation of Mr. Marquez will soon be applying for a renewal of his temporary stay of removal. This would allow Mr. Marquez to continue his work at the mill for another year and assistance in training the individual who will take over his duties at the mill. We ask that you give Mr. Marquez’s case full and due consideration under current immigration law and policy.”

Others who are fighting for Nunez include Senator Kevin Ranker and San Juan County Councilman Rick Hughes.

“As a supporter of small business, I appreciate the importance of a local mill when the leading economic driver for a community is construction. San Juan County is working to grow our independent lumber business and supports use of local natural resources when possible,” wrote Hughes in a letter to Cantwell and Murray. “Beyond Mr. Nunez’s position at the mill, he is a model resident who works hard to help those who need assistance. Mr. Nunez exemplifies the model citizen that I would like to see on Orcas Island.”

Ranker, who was in D.C. last week,  met with Sen. Murray about the situation.

Ranker wrote on his Facebook site, “While this is exactly the reason we need immigration reform, until that time, we can not fracture our communities in the name of Homeland Security by deporting our dear friends and neighbors. It is immoral and frankly, unAmerican.”