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Friend,

My name is Mimi Lettunich, and I am writing to you on behalf of my dear friends, Jackie and Carlos Merlos, and their young children. This summer, my husband and I unexpectedly and abruptly found ourselves the caretakers of their children, David, Abby, Carlos, and Jeffrey, after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) cruelly tore their family apart.

I want to share with you how the Trump administration devastated the lives of people that I love — and to ask you to join us in demanding ICE release them immediately. ([link removed])

The actions of ICE and CBP have been so outrageous that it is difficult to sum them up, but I will try:

First, CBP agents arrested Jackie, her mother, and her kids under false allegations. On June 28th, the family traveled to Peace Arch Park, which straddles the U.S.-Canada border. The plan was to have a picnic with Jackie’s sister, Flor, who is a legal permanent resident of Canada. While saying goodbye, Flor stepped her foot over the border. CBP agents swooped in and arrested Jackie, making a ridiculous accusation that she was engaged in “human trafficking” because her sister stepped into the U.S. Can you imagine your entire life falling apart as the result of a family visit?

Then, CBP locked up Jackie and her young children — who are all U.S. citizens under the age of 10 — in terrible conditions in Washington. They denied Jackie access to a lawyer and even lied about her whereabouts when her representative, U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, tried to locate her. They went so far as to drive hundreds of miles to Portland to break into Jackie’s house and confiscate her passport and the children’s birth certificates. They held Jackie and the children for around two weeks before they made a rushed attempt to deport them that a federal judge stopped in the nick of time.

And most shocking is how CBP and ICE abused the children. While in detention, agents interrogated the children without their mother — threatening them with foster care. They asked them questions about their lives and their father, Carlos, who they later arrested outside their home. CBP even ordered passports for the children so that they could try to deport them from the United States, their country of birth. Can you imagine, as a parent, a stranger getting a passport for your child to take them from their home? Or as a taxpayer, our money enabling federal agents to interrogate nine- and seven-year-olds?

Thankfully I now have Abby, David, Carlos, and Jeffrey in my custody, but ICE still has their parents. Every day I am heartbroken as the kids ask me when they’ll get to see their parents again.

Friend, we’re gathering as many signatures as possible to help bring Jackie and Carlos home to their children. The petition will be delivered to members of Congress, urging them to speak out. Hearing from people across the country will help. Sign on to NILC’s petition demanding their release: ([link removed])

SIGN ON: FREE THE MERLOS FAMILY ([link removed])

This is not just a legal failure — it’s a moral one. A mother, father, and their four American children were disappeared by our government, nearly deported under false pretenses, and stripped of their rights. We need action.

Jackie and Carlos have spent 20 years building their lives in Portland. They are business owners, active members of their church, and wonderful neighbors. Jackie is like a sister to me, and she has trusted me with her children’s welfare. I will not stand by as their family is ripped apart by my government.

Thank you for standing with us,

- Mimi Lettunich

P.S. To learn more about the Merlos family’s story and ways to support them click here. ([link removed])

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National Immigration Law Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your donation is tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. NILC’s federal tax identification number is 95-4539765.