It’s refreshing in these times of punitive immigration enforcement to be able to openly celebrate the success of someone like Henry who was born on U.S. soil though his parents were here illegally.

Henry exemplifies the fact that children like him are the innocent victims of these harsh measures targeting today’s undocumented population — and that they are this nation’s future heroes.

Henry gives all the credit for his achievements to his mother Nelly Rico. In fact, when asked what were the three things that kept his family going in the face of such adversity, he replied, “faith, hope and Mom’s intimidation.”

According to her son, Nelly is a strong woman whose children often lovingly referred to as “The Terminator.” No nonsense was tolerated by Nelly. The boys had to go to weekly Mass and if they didn’t, there would be no wrestling for the week — a threat that didn’t need enforcing.

If it weren’t for Nelly, Henry, along with his siblings, might have fallen victim to their circumstances.

However, Henry said that his mother was always adamant about not letting her family feel victimized by their situation and lectured her brood that they had to keep going forward no matter what happened.

It’s safe to say that Nelly’s presence in Henry’s life ensured the success he now enjoys. If only the same can be said for the countless families across the nation that are also of “mixed status.”

Mixed status refers to those families where some members, usually the parents, are undocumented but the children are U.S. citizens. While Henry’s mom, after being in the United States for 30 years, may be a citizen by now, countless other families who share similar circumstances are being targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the name of enforcing immigration law.

While it would be against the law to deport anyone who is a U.S. citizen, ICE has specifically gone after parents in such mixed status families and has shown no mercy in deporting those adults back to their native countries, even if it means breaking up families in the process.

What’s worse is that ICE has been increasingly pushing for deportation over allowing the option for a voluntary return. In this way, a person who is deported will have a near impossible time trying to re-enter the country legally and fulfilling the dream of reuniting with their family.

Henry Cedujo told reporters that if you asked his mom, she would say that she’s American.

It’s a question that should be asked more often before more families are needlessly separated.