Sanctuary in Belinda’s Journey “For a Better Future”

By Marco Mejia

October 2008

Three years ago, Belinda, just like millions of immigrants that have come to the United States in a search for a better future, started her journey in Guatemala. As she describes, her decision to come to the U.S. wasn’t an easy one, but was made under the pressure of her country’s economic conditions. “Life in Guatemala was, and still is, one of poverty. I came to this country because that. We were very poor. I was looking at that situation without any possibility of improvement where my younger sisters could have the opportunity to go to school. I was especially thinking of my daughter and that I didn’t want her to go through the situations I had to experience. I started to work when I was 12 years old and couldn’t go to school. When I had my daughter I was working and what I made didn’t cover our minimum expenses. That was what made me decide to come to the U.S.”

After two years of working two jobs at a minimum wage in the U.S., Belinda had the opportunity to send some money to her family. She met her husband with whom she later had her baby, Brandon. Her life was hard but she was very happy for the things that were happening until January 2008. Belinda and her family had just moved in with her brother-in-law so they could save some money when the immigration police came to their house. They were looking for her brother-in-law, who was denied renewal of extension of the TPS, a residency permit that was given to the Salvadorans who fled the political violence and war in El Salvador, and had been given an order of deportation. When the immigration police came for him, they checked on the documents of all the people living in the house, at which time Belinda, her husband and brother–in-law were detained.

“I told them that I didn’t want to go without my baby and they told me to choose between signing the papers and leaving the baby for three hours or just being detained and never seeing my baby again. I didn’t have another alternative to sign the paper and leave my baby. I was taken to this room, dirty and with graffiti all over, and I was thinking, ‘God, what am I going to do?!’ I started to think about all my dreams of supporting my family and my daughter and all the things that were happening to me, being separated from my son and my husband. I thought, ‘They don’t have a heart, separating families and their children who suffer the most.’ I said, ‘God forgive them if they do this to make their money and provide for their families, even if what they are doing is bad anyway.’”

Belinda was released after spending all day in the detention center. After returning to her house to face her new reality, no one wanted to be with her. Her husband was detained at the ICE detention center in Tacoma and eventually deported to El Salvador. There was a lot of fear that ICE would come back for her and detain everyone in the house. Others did help her to find support and connect with the ONSM. “I got to know the Sanctuary Movement when I had all the doors closed. I thank God for that because through them I had the opportunity to achieve many things. I learned there are many people that don’t want us to be here struggling for a better life and working for our families. Also, there are good-hearted people that believe that God does not distinguish between people to be loved by God, and that God loves us all equally.”

“I’m very thankful to Eddie and Catherine’s family that have given me all their support. I’m sad and happy at the same time for all the things that happened to me, but God has given me so much strength to continue struggling. Living in sanctuary with the family has been a beautiful experience. Even though we couldn’t understand each other very well with words, the language of their smile and their attitudes said it all, that they appreciate me and love me very much and I do love them too. We are like one family. I think the idea of “sanctuary” is genuine. I have met so many people that believe in equality and do not discriminate against us for being undocumented.”

“I think the Sanctuary Movement is there to help people in need like me, and there are many like me, so please keep doing this work. People like me wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have poverty in our countries. We don’t come here to steal jobs; we work very hard and get paid very little, and we do jobs that many people don’t want to do. If we could get a visa to come with documents, we wouldn’t risk our lives having to travel through oceans and dangerous routes. To get a visa you have to be rich and there are not visas for poor people.”

Belinda is returning to Guatemala at the end of October under an order of deportation. She is happy to be reunited with her daughter and her family but is worried about facing the same conditions that forced her to leave and come to the U.S. Before leaving, Belinda shared with us also that she is very happy to have known the ONSM and to have had the opportunity to be supported. It changed her life and the devastating experience of being detained into a hopeful one. She recommends that the ONSM to continue supporting people like her and changing the unjust laws that drive the causes of migration and the persecution of immigrants in the U.S. “I would recommend the government and the

immigration police chief work for the people and families to help them be united, to help the people that are here struggling for a better life to have the opportunity to work, and to look for people that are really doing bad things in the community. They shouldn’t go after people because the only thing they do is work. They should understand the situation of our countries and how what they are doing is affecting people.”

“The only thing I ask God for is the end of these raids and that people accomplish their dreams and improve their lives.”

We are gathering stories from families who were impacted by the ICE raid at Del Monte in June 2007, immigrants’ affected by our nation’s immigration policies, and people of faith involved in the sanctuary movement. Please contact us if you have a story you would like to share.