Summer vacation for the Elizarraraz family: It’s a sunny afternoon, and siblings Evelyn, 4, Alex, 6, and Jocelyn, 11, splash each other in their backyard kiddie pool in Crystal Lake. Older brothers Aidan, 16, and Isaiah, 19, beat the heat inside. Their mother, Kristin Glauner, and uncle, Arturo Elizarraraz, relax in the living room.
From the family photos on the refrigerator to the chalk drawings in the driveway, the family scene is exactly what you might expect on a summer day.
Except one person is missing: Dad.
When Elizarraraz’s phone rings, his heart skips a beat. It’s a call from the McHenry County Jail. His brother — Kristin’s fiancé and the father of her five children — is on the line. And he could be deported at any moment.