What is the Moral Dilemma in "The Ballad of Huck and Miguel"?

The Ballad of Huck and Miguel was written by Tim DeRoche and illustrated by Daniel Gonzales. The plot shares some striking similarities to Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (even though it is not an imitation work at all), but because the story takes place over a century after Mark Twain's famous work, the scenes are, of course, much different, especially since the setting is in a modern West Coast environment. Huck and Miguel's adventures occur along the Los Angeles River, a big city version of the Mississippi River. The scenes show tall skyscrapers and evoke an almost opposite world compared to the world that Mark Twain described in the 1800s.
At the outset, Huck and his Pap decide to head west to Los Angeles. Pap does not have much luck getting acclimated and assimilating in the big city, and Huck goes his own way. As Huck struggles to survive, he is able to get some food from Mexican immigrants. Afterward, Pap rants about the government letting illegal Mexican immigrants enter the country to take away Americans' jobs, money, and food. Pap complains that the plant where he used to work hired a Mexican immigrant to take over his job that he left. Pap is too prideful and would be too ashamed to ask for his job back from someone who hires a Mexican immigrant.
In a fit of jealousy and rage, Pap uses bungee-cords to tie Huck to their camper, but Huck manages to escape. Huck later meets Tom Sawyer, who is African American in this version of the story. They later witness Pap who is involved in a drug deal. During the exchange, Huck and Tom wind up saving Pap from the incident, in which the dealer murders an undercover cop. The case goes to court, and Huck and Tom receive a $200,000 reward for their efforts. Pap later becomes extremely angry when he learns that Huck has been learning to read and educating himself. And in another fit of jealousy and rage, Pap wants the reward money. Pap attacks Huck with a knife, and Miguel, a Mexican immigrant, defends Huck. They both get away.
Pap continually reappears throughout the story like a cockroach that won't die, and he later shows up on a bridge and shoots at Huck and Miguel as they sail down the Los Angeles River. Huck later discovers that his Pap has stabbed Miss Watson and Ms. Douglas, two ladies who allow Huck to live with them after he arrived in Los Angeles. Based on prejudicial attitudes, the police believe Miguel committed the crime and has kidnapped Huck, given the circumstances. In response, Huck and Miguel arrive at Aunt Polly's law office where Pap reappears (again) and takes Huck, Miguel, and Aunt Polly hostage. They manage to escape (again).
Near the end of the book, we learn that a judge—knowing that Pap was responsible for the crimes blamed on Miguel and that Miguel saved Huck's life when he defended him against Pap's attack—arranges to allow Miguel to remain in the country where he can be reunited with his family. Thus, the great moral dilemma in the story is quite relevant to the political times of today. Miguel, who is honorable, trustworthy, and loyal, and also someone who saved the life of an American, is also seen by many as someone who is part of a larger group that takes away jobs, money, and food from hard-working Americans. So there is a conflict between those who prefer to deport people like Miguel and those who see people like Miguel as how the model American citizen should behave and add value to American society. Miguel is an example of someone who undermines the theory that Mexican immigrants are not good people who can't contribute anything of value to American society.
Miguel is an example of someone who is actually the opposite of the kind of person that Pap believes is an accurate representation of immigrants. The story undeniably has a political theme that challenges the convictions of those readers who have reservations about letting Mexican immigrants into the country. In this way, it presents a moral dilemma for some of the readers of the story and not just the characters within it. Therefore, the story is truly a modern masterpiece that calls attention to the immigration issues of our time.