Friend,
This past November was the 25th anniversary of my arrival to the U.S. It was 1998 when me, my mother, my 2-year-old brother and my 18-year-old sister embarked on a journey to this country. I was only 11 years old. We left Durango, Mexico with so many dreams and hopes, like seeing my older siblings again. But mostly, we fled in search of a safe place, where my abusive father could not find us.
After saying goodbye to my beloved grandma and the rest of our extended family, we took a bus to Agua Prieta, Sonora. I don’t remember much about this border town, but what I do remember is the tiny motel room where we stayed as we waited to cross to the other side of the border. The walls were covered in stains. The floors crawled with cockroaches that were clearly not afraid of us. There were twin bunk beds where the four of us squeezed in together at night -and during the day- to avoid the bugs.
It was in that motel room that my mother made one of the hardest decisions of her life. After our failed attempts to cross the border, and getting deported back to Mexico by border patrol, the coyote asked mom to leave me in his hands. According to him, this plan would be safer.
In desperation and with tears in our eyes, we agreed. I was left alone in that motel room for hours waiting for the coyote. I was scared and felt so alone. There was no TV. I only had a few letters that my elementary school friends wrote to me before I left Mexico to keep me entertained.
Thankfully, the coyote’s plan didn’t work. Mom and my siblings came back to the motel to reunite with me. I still remember how she embraced me when I opened the door. “Perdoname hija,” she kept saying. “I’m sorry”. The next day, we all left together on an all-day walk to the U.S. A dangerous journey that I will never forget. But we finally made it. We were finally safe.
As the Young Center's Communications Director, I hear so many stories that remind me of that day in the Agua Prieta motel. Just like the hundreds of children we serve, I could have ended up in the immigration system as an unaccompanied child. It's one of the many reasons why I feel so passionate about my work. My journey fueled my drive for protecting the rights of immigrant children and youth in the United States and for advocating for a more humane and welcoming immigration system.
No child should ever feel so alone. No survivor of domestic violence should ever face such a difficult choice in order to protect her children.
As we approach the end of the year, I invite you to join me in this fight by becoming a recurring donor. Your ongoing support will help ensure that immigrant children have the support they need to navigate an unjust immigration system that was not created with their best interests in mind.
