Please help stop the Deportation of Luzi Puig

Maria Luz Caballero Gonzales is the maiden name of “Luzi Puig”. Luzi is from Germany and is facing deportation. She is pregnant with her husband’s son and is raising her two American born children. She is a wonderful community asset and servant, and is making an appeal to remain in the U.S. and become a permanent U.S. Resident.

In 2001, Luzi came to the U.S. and married Mark Cisneros, a U.S. citizen. They have two sons – Antonio, 9 years old (whom has dietary restrictions and needs special assistance, which Luzi is primary caregiver), and Saul, 6 years old. Mark applied for Luzi to receive permanent resident status in the U.S. Since the marriage failed, Luzi has been raising Saul and Antonio apart from Mark, but with visitation to him and his family. Luzi is an extemporary mother and a kind and caring person to all.

In 2008, Luzi was going through hardships, separated from her husband, living as a single mom. It was an emotionally difficult time in her life and she was charged with a DUI and two misdemeanor charges for items in the borrowed car. Luzi has been accountable for this offense, regrets her poor choice in that moment, and is extremely troubled by the current effect that it is having on her entire family. That was a turning point in her life and now, years later, just one moment in time is causing lasting havoc on her family, with the threat of deportation.

Her attorney, at the time, suggested that a “no contest plea” was her best choice and would not affect her immigration case. She completed all conditions from the state from the charges without incident. And, continued with her immigration application, but was denied in June 2012 by the United States Citizen and Immigration Service (USICS) because of having the two misdemeanor charges from this single event in 2008. This has disrupted their entire way of living and giving within the community. Without a pardon of those charges, she is going to be removed from the country, contrary to prior legal advice received. Luzi has tried to re-open her case in 2012 to change her “no contest plea,” but was denied because of the statue of limitations. Luzi needs a pardon or an immigration case wavier to stay in the country.

Mark, Luzi’s ex-husband, and his entire family love his sons and face losing the boys if they are to leave the country with their mother. Mark and Luzi both understand a child’s love and need for both parents and have worked to do all they can for the boys to see their father and family members as often as possible, and continue to be a part of their lives. It would be heartbreaking for Antonio and Saul to not be able to see their family, if Luzi is deported and the family torn apart.

John Puig and Luzi met in Naples. They became friends, gradually got closer, and eventually committed their lives together, in marriage before God. John has been raising Luzi’s sons with her, as their stepfather, loving them as his own. They are a family built in love and commitment. She is now pregnant with John’s first child and suffering medical complications that restrict her ability to move. She feels trapped, she can’t go and she can’t stay! Luzi has required emergency medical care for her pregnancy once before receiving the immigration denial and over a half dozen times since. To the Puigs, the fight to stop her deportation is a fight for their unborn son’s very life. Their life together has been a dream come true except for the nightmare of the dark cloud of Luzi’s immigration denial.

They also care for John’s elderly mother, Janet, a cancer survivor who lives near by and were working on plans to move her in with them, so that Janet would not be alone and all would be together as their newborn arrived. John has been his mother’s primary caregiver throughout her cancer battle and has planned to continue to care for her in her elder years. Janet needs and deserves John and Luzi to help her along.

The Puigs are self reliant; active in ministry work; and live a modest life. They are each other’s greatest assets and need each other. Luzi home schools her boys, Antonio and Saul, on the family farm.

Luzi, along with many other wonderful skills, is an organic farmer. She has used these incredible skills to assist in the designing, development, and harvesting of a farm like no other in Florida. Since September of 2009, Luzi and John created the “Garden At Eden,” an organic training farm for children with autism. The farm operates on principles of inclusion, financial independence, environmental sustainability, and community outreach. This farm has grown it to be the largest organic training farm in the state of Florida. There are no successors in sight to operate the farm and the community is at risk of losing the Garden at Eden, if the Puig family has to leave the country. Luzi has been an incredible an asset to the farm and the community at large. She is a loving, caring mentor. Her efforts are providing valuable vocational training to the community’s children.

John sailed for the department of Defense in operation Desert Shield in 2001and 2002, and has been an active patriot his entire life. He has worked abroad with World Food, served in missions internationally and locally. For over a decade he has served as a volunteer with youth teaching sailing, teaching gardening, building school gardens, running an educational non profit organization, providing recreational therapy for children with cancer and disabilities, teaching sustainability, building a Biofuel system for a church bus, and farming at ECHO in Ft. Myers. John is a proud American and is raising the family children to be the same.

John was his father’s primary care giver when he faced cancer and lost his battle in 2006. John’s father is a veteran of WWII and his Grandfather a veteran of WWI. This family has been based in community service for generations and is now facing immediate removal from the United States and that would be a loss to the community.

John and Luzi have dedicated their lives to serving children with special needs, including long term work with an orphanage in the Bahamas. They have years of attempting to help children recover from the loss of parents and cannot fathom the separation from their own children. They served for two years with “Kids Against Hunger”, now known as “Meals of Hope” John was a member of the steering committee, and together, John and Luzi participated in almost every event for that time. They left meals of Hope to start the Garden at Eden, together. The have helped start three community gardens, and use their knowledge of sustainability to conduct water sanitation missions at several orphanages. Both Luzi and John are involved as church volunteers and have participated with numerous church projects and service events. Luzi has been an office volunteer at The Tree of life Church for over a year, John has sat on the mission Committee at North Naples United Methodist Church for over four years.

The Puigs have a great desire to continue their work at the Garden at Eden, as well as, within their community at large throughout the numerous projects and ministries in which they are involved.

Please help them stay together and in the United States:

• Sign this petition and post a comment.
• Network this petition to aid their cause.
• Write a personal letter of reference if you know them. Mail letters of reference to the Puigs at 4115 Lorraine Ave Naples, Fl. 34104

Thank you.