<div>Hello, My name is Crystal. I am a Navy veteran, a soon-to-be mother, and <strong>am raising funds to reunite my family after nearly two decades apart.</strong>
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<div>My mom, Irma, has been waiting in Mexico for 17 years to return home to the United States. I am currently in my second trimester of pregnancy, and my greatest hope is to bring my mom home before I give birth so I don’t have to recover alone.
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<div>I don't remember much of my mom from when she lived in Georgia, but she says we visited the typical Atlanta attractions (like the Aquarium and the World of Coke) before I was five. I do remember a breathing machine that looked like a cow, though. For much of my childhood, I moved between homes, so my grandmother helped raise me. My aunt stepped in when she was still a teenager herself, and at times, I had to care for myself.
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<div>I tried living in Mexico more than once so I could be close to my mom. Each time, the financial realities, local cartel violence, and caregiving responsibilities made it impossible to stay.
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<div>So, I joined the U.S. Navy, and built a life, even when it felt like too much.
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<div>I kept going. The inability to run to my mother's arms when things are hard has been the hardest part of my story.
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<div><strong>The daughter of US migrant farmworkers, my mom is a strong and deeply capable woman. </strong>She is warm and is the kind of person who makes you feel safe after one conversation.
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<div>She has worked for US-led companies while living in Guadalajara, still contributing to American businesses but for a fraction of the pay.
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<div>She helps families with translations.
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<div>She solves problems when others feel stuck.
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<div>When neighbors need help, they call her.
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<div>When family members need childcare, she steps in.
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<div>When there is chaos, she brings order.
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<div>My mom arrived to the US as a newborn in 1980s. My mom and her siblings were raised by a single mom in Northeast Georgia in Gainesville, Georgia.
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<div>In 2008, my family attended an immigration appointment in Juárez, Mexico, to adjust our status after growing up undocumented in the United States.
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<div>That is when everything stopped.
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<div>USCIS determined that because my mom was taken out of the country as a minor and later returned to her family, she had to be penalized for leaving the U.S. as a child. She was required to wait 10 years outside the country and then petition through a pardon, leaving behind her childhood friends and family. Still, she dreams of returning to school and building the career she always imagined in the United States as a native English speaker. She is also excited to reunite with her own mother, whose age and health now require daily care.
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<div>We have spent thousands of dollars on legal fees.
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<div>We have waited.
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<div>We have hoped.
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<div><em>Seventeen</em> years have passed.
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<div><strong>As I begin to build a family of my own, I want my children to know my mother. </strong>
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<div>My mom will have temporary housing with a family member when she arrives. After that, she will need time to get settled.
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<div>With her status adjustment:
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<div>• She must wait about two months for her green card
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<div>• She must then receive a Social Security number
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<div>• Only after that can she begin working
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<div>Those first months will be challenging and this fundraiser is meant to bridge that gap.
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<div>How the funds will be used:
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<div>The goal is $3,500.
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<div>Funds will go toward:
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<div>• Plane tickets for my mom and my two younger siblings
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<div>• Basic living expenses during the first two months
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<div>• Transportation, food, and school setup
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<div>• Support while my mom waits for work authorization
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<div>Any amount raised beyond this goal will help with:
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<div>• Longer-term housing stability
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<div>• School supplies and childcare needs
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<div>Every dollar helps our family land safely.
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<div>If you are able to give, thank you.
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<div>If you can’t give, sharing this means just as much.
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<div>After 17 years, we are so close.
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<div>Thank you for helping bring my mom home, and really, thank you for just hearing my story.
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<div>In love and appreciation, 
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<div>Crystal
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Isabella Solis

Lana Goitia

Maria del Rosario Palacios

Josie Glass

vanessa corona

Karla Tamayo

Victoria Espinosa

Anonymous

Aimee Maldonado

Sarah Vazquez

Kyle Gomez-Leineweber

Lera Harben

Kevin Amaya

Mikayla A Arciaga

Alexis Cortez

BETH GUTIERREZ

Help Bring My Mom, Irma, Home After 17 Years

Help Bring My Mom, Irma, Home After 17 Years

Still $2,315 to go. Help us build momentum.