Her husband, who came to the U.S. in 1996 from Mexico, said he never applied for citizenship, thinking it was out of reach. He heard stories from friends and relatives who paid their lawyers thousands of dollars and still waited several years before receiving green cards or work permits, he said.
The couple, who grew up in the same Mexican village, did not get married until 2023. They shared the same vision for their families. They wanted their children to receive a good education so they would never struggle for work and money like their parents did.
The husband started in Los Angeles and found the smog and traffic overwhelming. He heard through word of mouth that Minnesota had the kind of access to nature he was used to, and the sparsity of population he preferred.
Sitting at their dining room table on a freezing January afternoon, he joked that he once wanted to have his ashes spread over one of Minnesota’s many lakes when he died. But now that he and his wife are in hiding, he said perhaps moving back to Mexico is safer.
“We still love this country,” he said of the United States. “But with everything that’s happening, I’m determined to leave.”
Husband and wife have watched from their phones and TV as immigration agents flooded their snow-covered city, arresting people allegedly here unlawfully and protesters who oppose President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
After the deaths of Pretti and Good, the couple contacted family in Mexico and in the U.S. to start making plans to relocate. They said they feel comforted by protesters’ support, but remain terrified of being ripped from their home without the chance to pack or ensure their two youngest daughters, 18 and 19 respectively, have somewhere to live without them.