My name is Firdaws Hakizimana, and my mom, Khadija Ahmed, is the Founder and Executive Director of Food For All Services, a local nonprofit that offers multiple services to low-income individuals, particularly immigrants, and the Community Impact Manager at Good Shepherd Food Bank, Maine's only food bank. On the 19th of April, ICE staked our house while she was driving my youngest brother to Quran class and took her from down the street. Thankfully, they allowed her to drive her car back to our house and return my youngest brother and her car.

She was not trackable via the ICE tracking website until she returned two and a half weeks later. She was forced into solitary confinement for five days, only given two granola bars and a cup of oatmeal. They took her hijab, a towel, and a blanket that she tried to use to cover herself. They moved her across three states, and it was only thanks to Congresswoman Pingree's office that ICE agreed to keep her in New England. She missed one of my brothers' birthdays. She almost missed my university graduation. If she is deported, she will miss so many birthdays, graduations, and just the quality of life that she has had for the past 25 years. Four of us kids lost our father last year, so she is the only parent we have left, and she lost her father two months ago.

My mother has not committed a single crime. She has five American citizen children, an American citizen elder mother, and multiple cousins and a sibling who are all citizens. She has no criminal record, and when her court date was held to discuss bail, the DOJ lawyer claimed my mother was a danger to the community, even though her lawyers pulled her FBI records, and there wasn't even a single speeding ticket. What was meant to be achieved was obvious: people are angry that she is feeding people, and that innocents can't be picked up while trying to receive food at other pantries or grocery stores. Her immigration hearing is on May 19th, and her lawyer expects a long and expensive legal battle as the immigration system is at full capacity, and document requirements are constantly shifting.

We are asking our community to help cover the cost of legal fees, therapy costs for Khadija and her kids, and living expenses. They are coming after leaders to make examples of them, and my mom is one of them. Without her, many people across Maine will go hungry. SNAP cuts are starting, food is more expensive, and we need mutual aid in Maine to stay as stable as possible.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Firdaws A. Hakizimana