58 | APRIL 14 • 2022 continued from page 56 PASSOVER back to Metro Detroit, a customs officer asked my mom for her travel papers. She did not have any. My mom said two big officers escorted her in front of everyone else on the boat, “I could hear [the Yocheveds’] kids asking, ‘Where are they going to take her?’ I tried to compose myself not to cry because there were so many people there, ” she said. “I was so embarrassed. My emotions were everywhere. I didn’t know what was happening or what was going to happen next. I didn’t know how to respond. So basi- cally, I just walked with them and didn’t say anything. ” The Boblo boat brought her back to Detroit, where immigration then interrogat- ed her for hours. “I was so scared. You know, with all these people asking constant questions over and over and over. From 4 o’ clock that afternoon to 1 o’ clock in the morning, I was interro- gated, ” my mom said. “I didn’t know what else I could say. They kept drilling me, and they didn’t even ask if I needed to go to the bathroom. They were inhumane, ” my mom added with tears streaming down her face. After the intense questioning, the officers said that she didn’t exist in the U.S.; there was no record that she was ever here, so they deported her back to Canada. When my mom arrived in Canada, Canadian immigration greeted her and asked her if she needed to go to the bath- room or if she was hungry. My mom said after hours of being terrified during the interrogation, “they treated me like a per- son, a human being. ” She then broke down after being offered some kindness. The Canadian immigration authorities apologized and explained how she would have to stay the night in jail if she couldn’t pay for a $1,000 bond. She didn’t have any cash on her, so they contacted the Yocheveds. It was very early in the morning, and my mom said she didn’t know what was going to happen next. As time passed, they told my mom they hadn’t heard from the Yocheveds in a while — and not to worry about the other peo- ple in the holding cell; they were nice. As they began to get her ready for lockup, the Yocheveds knocked on the door with the cash in hand. That began my mom’s sojourning in Canada. When my dad caught wind of what was going on, he filed a fiancée visa application. “I wasn’t considering marriage at that stage of my life, but the thought of her being gone made me realize I didn’t want to live without her, ” he said. While in Canada, my mom stayed with several families, finally settling with a Filipino family in Windsor. My parents say it took two years for the visa to go through. My dad traveled from East Lansing to visit her on weekends, with the ongoing possibil- ity of her deportation at any time. “The incredible thing is, after all that, it was the first night of Passover, and she came over the water [the Ambassador Bridge] for her Exodus. We find it hard to believe that was just a coincidence, ” he added. PASSOVER FREEDOM My mom, Remy, now resides locally with my dad, Ben Sweet, her husband of 35 years. Together, they raised four children. As the season of Passover begins, there are always bittersweet memories for my mom. “That night, Ben’s family welcomed me in their home to celebrate Passover. After everything that had happened … thinking back on how I got there, it was a lot, ” she said with tears in her eyes. After receiving the fiancée visa, my par- ents say they had to get married within 90 days. June 25, 1987, my parents had a multicultural Jewish wedding filled with the Filipino friends my mom made and family and friends on my dad’s side, who happily welcomed her into the family. The two began their life together as an interracial Jewish couple. While my mom knew about Judaism, she was raised Catholic in the Philippines. However, she decided to raise their four children, including myself, in the Jewish faith. “I converted to Judaism when I felt ready, and after taking classes for a year learning more about the faith, ” she said. My mom said raising a Jewish family just felt right. As she continued to learn more about Judaism, she felt even more connected and wanted to go through the mikvah conversion ritual along with my The Sweet family gathering together for a selfie. Remy, Ben, Megan Allen, Leila Allen-Sweet, Jeremy, Isaac; front row: Shirley, Amanda and Rachel.