Sixteen years ago Friday, Agnes Gibboney received the news no mother ever wants to hear. She was at a Girl Scout campout with her two daughters when the park ranger came to her tent, yelling to her that she had an emergency. She called her husband from the ranger’s station and was told that her 30-year-old son, Ronald, had been shot and was in surgery and expected to survive. She rushed home to find out that Ronald didn’t make it.

Ronald’s killer was Luis Humberto Gonzalez, a previously-deported illegal alien (deported for criminal behavior) and gang member. Ronald was not the intended target; he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Gonzalez fled to Mexico before turning himself in. He was convicted and is in prison, scheduled to be released in 2020.

While Gonzalez will eventually be released from prison (and hopefully deported), Agnes and her family will never be released from the pain and grief they have suffered since April 27, 2002.

https://www.facebook.com/agnes.gibboney/videos/1105401492936433/

Agnes, who is the co-founder of a group which recently filed a ballot initiative looking to overturn California’s sanctuary state laws, visited her son’s resting place Friday. She shared an emotional video message, asking viewers to donate to Fight Sanctuary State in Ronald’s memory.

This is the pain and the agony that I have to live with every day. It doesn’t go away, trust me. My heart aches so bad that I can’t hug my son. What keeps me from hugging my son is six feet of dirt. No mother should ever — or father should ever go through the pain and agony and despair that I live with. You have no idea how difficult it is to wake up today. I just wonder what it would have been with Ronald, what he would be doing today. Somebody took his dreams. Somebody killed his dreams. Somebody who should have never been in our country.

I ask you, please donate….Help me fight this insanity in the state of California called SB 54, the sanctuary bill. Do not let this happen to your children. I ask you — you don’t want to walk in my shoes. Thank you.

They say that time heals all wounds. In watching this mother’s face and hearing her trembling voice it’s apparent that it does not.

Read more of Agnes’ story here: https://fightsanctuarystate.com/agnes-gibboney/