Aldea - The People's Justice Center

We want to honor Desmond Kangjun Gaur-Kim's memory by raising funds for Aldea - The People's Justice Center, and any donation will help make an impact.  

We received the diagnosis of Dezzie's congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) during  our routine 20-week anatomy ultrasound.  By then, I had been feeling him kick and move around inside of me for weeks, and thanks to modern medicine and my advanced maternal age, had known we were having a boy for almost 2 months. Vic and I had already named him Desmond, though we kept his name close to our chests. 

The remaining 19 weeks of our pregnancy were filled with countless ultrasounds, echo cardiograms, fetal MRI's, surgical and genetic consults, an amniocentesis, and evaluations at both NY Presbyterian and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Eventually, we learned that Dezzie's condition was fairly severe. While the odds of his survival were supposed to be high, we had no way of knowing what the short-term and long-term impact would be; whether he would make an eventual full recovery or have significant, long-term complications. To give him the best fighting chance possible, we made the difficult decision to deliver at CHOP because of their advanced treatment of CDH. At 36 weeks pregnant, we uprooted our lives (including Hazel's) and relocated to Philadelphia for the delivery and Dezzie's impending NICU stay. 

Through every heartbreaking and anxiety-inducing appointment, we never doubted we had access to the best medical care possible. We knew we were privileged to have choices, from continuing the pregnancy to relocating to Philadelphia. We were incredibly fortunate to have Vic's physician background to navigate the complicated medical world, and to have the overall support of family, friends, and colleagues to help get us through each day. Eventually, we were lucky enough to meet our son and fall even more deeply in love during the 12 precious days we had with him. We were able to see his eyes open as he heard our voices for the first time. We were able to stroke his hair, read to him, give him breast milk swabs, stare into his beautiful eyes, sing to him, and hold his little hand.  When the time came, he passed in our arms knowing, we hope, the love and care we desperately felt for him. 

There are days when the grief still feels unbearable, but we are grateful for every second we had with Dezzie, and for the tender care and respect we received throughout his too-short life. It therefore felt significant to learn that less than 70 miles from Dezzie's hospital is the Berks Family Detention Facility, where immigrant families are detained while seeking asylum. The organization ALDEA-The People's Justice Center provides zealous legal representation to these detained families, fighting for their access to basic medical care like lice and flu treatment, and ensuring that "no parent and child detained is forced to navigate the complex immigration process alone."  Aldea also represents the parents of children who have tragically and senselessly died during detainment, as well as the growing number of parents forcibly separated from their children by Customs and Border Patrol.  

While we continue to mourn Dezzie, we cannot think of a better way to honor his memory than to support an organization that is intent on giving immigrant families and children the dignity and care that were afforded to our Dezzie. 

Aldea - The People's Justice Center : The concept of the Aldea (Village) is a community living together and caring for each other's needs. In that spirit, the mission of Aldea is to provide a holistic approach to meeting the multi-faceted needs of our immigrant community members, including through legal service, social, educational, and medical services.

Our children, Magnolia, Eli, and Eva have embarked a noble mission to raise awareness and money to support the needs of unaccompanied migrant children. Beginning at 11:35 AM Saturday, September 25, Magnolia, Eli, and Eva will spend 24 hours in a cardboard box representing the cramped conditions that many migrant children face on their way to refuge in the U.S. We ask that you support this challenge either through positive thoughts and sharing the word or through a donation of any amount.

All funds raised will benefit Aldea - The People's Justice Center, and any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

More information about Aldea - The People's Justice Center: The concept of the Aldea (Village) is a community living together and caring for each other's needs. In that spirit, the mission of Aldea is to provide a holistic approach to meeting the multi-faceted needs of our immigrant community members, including through legal service, social, educational, and medical services.

It's hard to watch the news these days. It's hard because we see so much suffering in our immigrant community - profiling, raids, hard-working families ripped apart, arbitrary detention, unjust deportations, and the latest anti-immigrant scheme: family separation at the border.

The Trump administration is implementing a policy where asylum-seeking children are taken from their parents and shipped to remote shelters all over the country. Meanwhile, the parent is held indefinitely in a detention facility, and with no information about the location or well-being of their babies. 

As we hear these stories, most of us feel the urge to do something, anything. Here is an opportunity to help!

ALDEA - the People's Justice Center is a non-profit in Reading, PA committed to representing separated families and other families in immigration detention. Our mission is to halt the deportation of the parent, secure their release and reunite families. This week, we got very close to accomplishing exactly that with one of our cases - the case of the amazing Blanca Nieve, "Snow White." 

Blanca is our super shero. She and her children survived years of persecution in El Salvador following the murder of her husband, a high ranking military officer. When Blanca and her 12-year-old child arrived in the United States asking for protection, in October 2017, Border Patrol handcuffed the child and told him to say goodbye to mom. Blanca didn't hear from him again for weeks as she remained detained in El Paso.

Even through all this Blanca has been incredibly fierce, repeatedly advocating for herself and her children, standing up to border officers, Judges and prison bullies. She and her family even advocate for other mothers and children separated by immigration. Families like Blanca's truly deserve all our support. 

When we heard about Blanca, days away from her deportation, we knew we had to do something. We could not let the government get away with the cruelty of punishing Blanca by stealing her child, jailing her and then deporting her - just for seeking asylum. 

Aldea entered pro bono representation for Blanca and stopped her deportation. Understanding that we would have to travel across the country for a mandatory appearance before one of the most difficult Immigration Judges in the U.S., we signed up for weeks of research, drafting and collecting evidence to support Blanca's case. After many long and tearful prison calls, and a truly collective effort by volunteers on the ground and advocacy networks reaching all across the U.S., we secured a hearing to argue for Blanca's bond. 

We flew from Pennsylvania to El Paso. We sat in the Judge's court and he took our case first. He explained the rules of his court and we listened patiently. We were all nervous. 

Then something happened. The Judge smiled and thanked us for coming. He told Blanca that when she was released to New Orleans, she had to go to Jefferson Square and eat beignets.

He called her a refugee. He called her claim of fear “valid.” And he ordered her released on a $7,500 bond. Once we post her bond, she will be on her way to seeing her children again, free and safe. 

The Detained Migrant Solidarity Committee (DMSC), Pantsuit Republic and Aldea are now joining efforts to raise funds to cover Blanca's bond. DMSC - Fianza Fund has already generously offered $1,500 to bring us closer to our goal!

This fundraiser will first go toward completing Blanca's bond. Once we receive the funds, one of our managing attorneys will post bond directly with ICE.

DMSC has volunteered to assist Blanca after her release and help her make arrangements for her travel to New Orleans. Any amount remaining after posting bond will be used to cover travel costs for reunification.

Last, any amount remaining will be used to cover our out-of-pocket travel expenses for the required court appearance in El Paso. 

Any funds donated in excess of bond and travel expenses will remain in Aldea's Bond Fund for Family Reunification to benefit other separated families.

The best part of your tax-deductible gift to this bond fund is that it never ends! When Blanca's case is over, ICE returns the money to the bond fund and we can use it to assist another family in need. For example, we are currently preparing for the bond hearing of another mom separated from her three children, ages 3, 11 and 16, who is now detained in Batavia, NY.

We work diligently to make sure that separated families know we are here for them and that we want to help, no matter where they are detained. All of Aldea's services for persons in detention are pro bono, so you can rest assured that your contribution is going directly to the families we represent. 

THANK YOU for helping us complete our work and for supporting Blanca. Not only will your donation actually get Blanca free, but it will be a statement that family separation is an unacceptable punishment for asylum seekers. Together, we can fight back and make the U.S. a safer, more welcoming place for refugee families!