Arlington school district Trustee Tony Pompa still feels awkward talking about his youth spent living in the shadows of undocumented immigration.
That's what made it all the more surprising when Pompa gave an emotional testimonial about his experience this summer during a school board meeting."It was really hard for me because I don't usually expose myself in that way," he said recently. "I'm very focused in my role as a trustee. I'm very focused on our objectives. But this was a huge personal issue for me. I know we have probably thousands of students in that same position."Pompa, 40, is president and CEO of Arlington-based General Assembly, a product assembly company.When he was 11, Pompa's grandmother drove him and two younger siblings to Reynosa, Mexico, across the border from McAllen.They knew nothing of their late-night crossing into the United States to join their mother and her new husband, an Anglo man."We went to sleep in the back of the car," Pompa said. "When we woke up, we were in Houston."At first, the Pompa children didn't understand anything about immigration, or being considered illegal."We figured it out when my mom said 'you've gotta be careful,'" Pompa recalled.It was September 23 and school had already started."My mom said, 'I can't put you in school yet, and don't let the police see you outside because you should be in school,' " he recalled.Despite that beginning, Pompa and his brother and sister grew and adapted well to life across the border."From the moment I got here, I lived in an American culture," he said. "I learned English quickly, lived in an Anglo neighborhood."He came to regard his undocumented status as a major inconvenience, but not really a threat.A few years later, at age 16, the circumstances of Pompa's childhood border crossing began to limit his ambition."I realized what a difficult position I was in when I wanted to go to college," he said. "I couldn't get a job, couldn't go to college."He attended St. Edward's University in Austin, a well-regarded private school that did not have the residency restrictions that public universities had at the time."When I got married, that's how I was able to establish my residency here when I was 21 years old," Pompa said. "That was a permanent residency back then, and I finally did get citizenship in 2007."Issuing a challengePompa's dramatic remarks to the board in June were in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals order signed by President Barack Obama. The program gives longtime resident immigrants between the ages of 15 and 30 a two-year moratorium on deportation and a chance to apply for a work permit and a driver's license."I didn't know what was going on," Pompa said of his arrival in the U.S. "It was not my choice. It was not something I elected to do. If they [his parents] had asked me, I probably would have said I wanted to stay where I was."I want to ask you, the people that hear me tonight, would your country be better off if I wasn't here today?" he said in part. "I've employed thousands of people. I've helped many people launch very strong careers. I've served my community at every opportunity that I have. I believe I have been a very productive member of our society and our community."He finished with a challenge:"I would ask you to think about me and other people like myself that are here because we were brought by our parents," he said. "We are focusing on contributing to this great country that we all have come to love."The message resonated around the Arlington district and around the city."I got quite a bit of feedback, definitely from all my colleagues, teachers, and principals," Pompa said. They sent me e-mails, text messages. Some said how grateful they were that I had expressed those words."The educators told him about some of their own students who carry the same burdens, Pompa said."Surprisingly, I've not had any negative feedback whatsoever and most of my friends are very conservative," he said. "This is a very personal view. I deliberated about whether I should say anything for quite a while."When he did, it was a private decision not shared in advance with anyone."My wife didn't even know I was going to do that," he said. "She texted me later and said 'Wow!'"Pompa said he hopes his disclosure puts a face to the immigration issue."The important thing to keep in mind is, we're talking about real human lives, not political ideologies," Pompa said. "I hope these people with very hard ideas will think, 'Yes, but my friend Tony Pompa was one of those kids.'"Shirley Jinkins, 817-390-7657Twitter: @startelegramHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
