I work for an organization that serves immigrant youth in the DMV. One of my students called me when her apartment was raided by ICE. Her neighbor was taken. He is a husband, and father of three, a 2 year old, a 6 year old, and a 9 year old. After weeks of searching we eventually located where he had been deported to, which was luckily his home country. His wife and children can at least speak to their papa on the phone again. I, and several others who really stepped up, have been working with the mother, who depended on her husband's income, to make sure the family has groceries, medicine for the 2 year old who was sick (she's better now), and figuring out how to pay their bills.

All they want is to be back with their dad, their husband, to be a family again. They're planning to self deport. They just need to pay their bills while we still raise funds for their plane tickets to do so.

Their rent, plus utilities is $2,000 that is due by November 1st. Last month they didn't use the A/C to save money. I don't want them skimping on the heat as it gets colder.

Personally, I can't express how difficult this has been to watch, and how hard it's been on my student as she sits with me to translate as the mother is crying and explaining their situation. The dad has already missed the 6 year old's birthday. However, it's been overwhelmingly inspiring to see how many people have come to help that I have never met, and have never met this family. People I've never met have navigated through ICE raids in my own neighborhood to just deliver baby wipes.

People can bring me to tears with how much they want to help. So if you can help also, and just give this family I've fallen in love with hope to see their dad again, see their husband again, well... when I sit with the mom as she's still crying after I've spoiled the kids with chocolates, it might finally be tears of joy.