As some of you know me, my name is Jes and my fiancé's initial is E. E was detained in Alligator Alcatraz for nearly three weeks and just a few days ago, he was transferred to El Paso Enhanced Hardened Facility. E fears deportation to Guatemala due to fear of being forced to work for MS-13, despite not ever having any history of gang affiliation. He wants to stay with his fiancée, his three children, and continue to be a hard worker and a dedicated father.

While at Alligator Alcatraz, E feared for his life. He lived in a metal cage with 31 other men who shared three toilets, which were always unusable due to sewage backup. All water came from these toilets—for brushing his teeth, drinking, etc. E saw how his fellow detainees were given bracelets to show their “threat level”—yellow is low, orange is medium, red is high. He was given an orange bracelet, despite being kind, courteous, and calm. E witnessed detainees being hit repeatedly by guards and taken away. He watched as people around him disappeared, not knowing where they were going. He witnessed his fellow detainees fall sick and unconscious and get ignored by guards. E himself got an infection that took days for medical staff to acknowledge or treat, and even then, he only got two doses of antibiotics, several days apart.

On the days leading up to his transfer, E was taken out of his cage and put into a tent and told he was being transported. He stayed in this tent for hours without answers, without knowing where he was going. He was put back in the cage and taken out of the cage with the same message several times, for several days. Finally, he was told he was being transferred to Texas.

Since arriving at the El Paso Enhanced Hardened Facility, E is beginning to lose hope. The facility is much like Alligator Alcatraz, but he reports it’s much more crowded. He sleeps in a tent in the desert, in the middle of a heat wave with average temperatures above 100, on a mat on the floor. He got one five-minute phone call to his family and he may not be able to talk on the phone again. We have been unable to find a pro bono lawyer for him who has the capacity to help his case. Many non-profit organizations are over capacity and unable to help with this specific facility.

We have been told that this facility has a goal to move people out as quickly as possible, whether they have had legal assistance or not—on average 72 hours—and we need to act as quickly as possible.

We are asking for any and all help. We cannot afford a lawyer to help his case, and we can barely survive as a family due to the loss of his income. Please, help our family.