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<div>My name is Wendy, and I never imagined I would have to ask strangers for help as I prepare to give birth alone.
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<div>My husband, Carlos, and I met in Colombia, where he had gone after fleeing Venezuela in search of safety. Together, we built a blended family with our four children and lived a relatively peaceful life in the Arauca Department.
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<div>Carlos lives with disabilities. He is legally blind and deaf. Despite these challenges, he has always been a devoted father, a tireless worker, and the heart of our family.
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<div>When the armed conflict reached our community in Colombia, we first fled to Ecuador and then to the United States seeking asylum and safety for our children. The journey north was long and dangerous, but we firmly believed we were giving our children the chance to live in peace.
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<div>When we arrived, the person who had promised to sponsor us disappeared, leaving us completely alone in a country we did not know.
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<div>Even then, we kept moving forward.
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<div>We lived in a shelter in New York, applied for asylum, obtained work permits, worked hard, and eventually moved to Pennsylvania. Carlos and I both found jobs at Amazon and started a small house-cleaning business. For the first time in years, it felt like our lives were finally becoming stable. Then, in the fall of 2025, we learned that I was pregnant. It was an unexpected surprise, but a very welcome one.
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<div>We have been extremely careful with our immigration case. We followed every rule. We submitted all of our paperwork. We attended every immigration appointment. Until everything suddenly changed.
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<div>After a dispute with a neighbor over alleged noise complaints, Carlos decided to challenge a fine in court because he believed the accusations were unfair. We lost the case, but we accepted the decision and paid the fine that same day.
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<div>As we were leaving the courthouse, ICE agents were waiting. They took my husband away without any explanation.
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<div>I have fought hard for him. The attorneys I hired filed a complaint in federal court challenging his detention and succeeded in obtaining a bond hearing, but the immigration judge denied his release, as has happened to so many others. For nearly two months, Carlos has remained detained, facing every day the enormous challenges of living in detention as a person with his disabilities. I have spoken with countless attorneys, organizations, and journalists.
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<div>Eventually, faced with the possibility of even longer detention and continued separation from his family, he made the heartbreaking decision to accept deportation to Venezuela.
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<div>Days later, two earthquakes devastated the area where his elderly mother had planned to receive him.
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<div>My husband is still being held in detention while he waits to be deported. And I am here, nine months pregnant, alone, behind on our rent, trying to care for our four children while preparing to welcome our baby without my husband by my side, without family or friends.
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<div>The kindness of our neighbors has carried us this far, but we still need help to keep our family afloat through the birth, my recovery, and the uncertain weeks ahead.
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<div>I know there are so many heartbreaking stories, so many fathers who have been detained, and mothers like me living with constant fear and uncertainty. If our story touches your heart, please consider supporting our family. All funds raised will go directly to cover our family's rent, utilities, food, and other living expenses while I recover from childbirth.  
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<div>After fleeing violence, crossing continents, and rebuilding our lives from nothing, I hold onto one hope: that my children will know that even in our darkest moment, we were not alone.
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<div>Thank you for standing with our family.
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<div>— Wendy
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<div>Mi nombre es Wendy y nunca imaginé que tendría que pedir ayuda a extraños mientras me preparo para dar a luz sola.
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<div>Mi esposo Carlos y yo nos conocimos en Colombia, donde él había llegado después de huir de Venezuela en busca de seguridad. Juntos formamos una familia ensamblada con nuestros cuatro hijos y vivíamos relativamente tranquilos en el Departamento del Arauca.
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<div>Carlos vive con discapacidades, es legalmente ciego y sordo. A pesar de sus dificultades, siempre ha sido un padre entregado, un trabajador incansable y el corazón de nuestra familia.
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<div>Cuando el conflicto armado llegó a nuestra comunidad en Colombia, primero huimos a Ecuador y luego a Estados Unidos buscando asilo y seguridad para nuestros hijos. El viaje hacia el norte fue largo y peligroso, pero creíamos firmemente que les estábamos dando a nuestros hijos la oportunidad de vivir en paz.
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<div>Cuando llegamos, la persona que había prometido patrocinarnos desapareció, dejándonos completamente solos en un país que no conocíamos.
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<div>Aun así, seguimos adelante.
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<div>Vivimos en un refugio en Nueva York, presentamos nuestro asilo, obtuvimos permisos de trabajo, trabajamos duro y finalmente nos mudamos a Pensilvania. Carlos y yo conseguimos empleo en Amazon y comenzamos un pequeño negocio de limpieza de casas. Por primera vez en años, sentíamos que la vida comenzaba a estabilizarse. En el otoño del 2025, recibimos la noticia que estoy embarazada. Fue una sorpresa inesperada, pero igual muy bienvenida.
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<div>Con inmigración hemos sido muy cuidadosos. Seguimos todas las reglas. Presentamos nuestros documentos. Asistimos a todas nuestras citas migratorias. Hasta que entonces todo cambió.
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<div>Después de un conflicto con un vecino por supuestas quejas de ruido, Carlos decidió pelear una multa en corte porque consideraba que las acusaciones eran injustas. Perdimos el caso, pero aceptamos la decisión y pagamos la multa ese mismo día.
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<div>Cuando salíamos del tribunal, agentes de ICE estaban esperando. Se llevaron a mi esposo sin explicación alguna.
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<div>He luchado por él, mucho. Los abogados que le contraté pusieron una queja sobre su detención en una corte federal y lograron que se le concediera una audiencia de fianza, pero el juez de inmigración le negó la libertad como han hecho injustamente con muchas personas. Durante casi dos meses, Carlos ha permanecido detenido, enfrentando cada día las enormes dificultades de vivir la detención siendo una persona con sus discapacidades. He hablado con muchos abogados, con organizaciones, con periodistas.
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<div>Finalmente, ante la posibilidad de una detención aún mas prolongada y de seguir separado de su familia, tomó la dolorosa decisión de aceptar su deportación a Venezuela.
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<div>Días después, dos terremotos devastaron la zona donde su madre anciana tenía previsto recibirlo.
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<div>My esposo aún está detenido esperando que lo deporten. Y yo estoy aquí. Con nueve meses de embarazo. Sola. Atrasada en el pago del alquiler. Tratando de cuidar a mis cuatro hijos mientras me preparo para recibir a nuestro bebé sin mi esposo a mi lado, sin familia ni amigos.
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<div>La solidaridad de nuestros vecinos nos ha permitido llegar hasta aquí, pero todavía necesitamos ayuda para mantener a nuestra familia a flote durante el parto, la recuperación y las semanas inciertas que vendrán.
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<div>Sé que hay muchas historias fuertes, muchos padres de familia detenidos y madres como yo, viviendo en angustia. Si nuestra historia te conmueve, por favor considera apoyarnos. Todos los fondos serán usados directamente para cubrir la renta, servicios, comida y otros gastos mientras me recupero del parto. 
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<div>Después de huir de la violencia, cruzar continentes y reconstruir nuestras vidas desde cero, me aferro a una sola esperanza: que mis hijos sepan que, incluso en nuestro momento más oscuro, no estuvimos solos. Gracias por acompañar a nuestra familia.
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<div>— Wendy
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Anonymous

Lila Trusky

Amy Mietelski

Sherian Henry

Leigh Ellen Rodriguez

Kerstin Forrester

Robin Hawley Gorsline

Timothy Diehl

Susan Heffner

SOS Wendy, Kids & Baby on the Way - Father Detained by ICE!

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SOS Wendy, Kids & Baby on the Way - Father Detained by ICE!

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