Raising money to help Mary Hernandez pay lawyer fees to help bring her husband, Erik Hernandez, home. Erik and Mary have been married for 13 years. They gained guardianship of Mary's 7 year old and 16 year old grandchildren 6 years ago.

Erik has been living in the US for 40 years but his parents did not finish requirements to obtain his citizenship. Erik began working on obtaining his citizenship 9 years ago, however, was delayed in the process due to a non-violent misdemeanor charge in 2016 for which he served a sentence of 45 days in jail and fulfilled his probation without issue. His time and sentence were served.

On July 18, 2025, Erik and Mary went to an immigration meeting in Indianapolis where Erik was unexpectedly taken to an ICE facility in Brazil, IN due to his prior misdemeanor, which Erik had already served time for. On October 1, 2025, Erik was transferred to the Miami correctional facility (known as the Speedway Slammer). So far, Erik was able to have his misdemeanor vacated, but is currently waiting, in a detainment facility, for a Suspension of Deportation order to allow him to obtain a visa and finish his obtaining his residency. Mary and Erik have spent nearly $19,000 in lawyer and application fees, but are still needing roughly $3000 for additional lawyer fees.

While help from family and friends have been able to help with some of these fees and expenses, they are now at a financial standstill. Along with the money Mary had saved to redo the foundation of their home, and the extra hours Mary has picked up at work, they are struggling to make day-to-day ends meet as well as raising the money to finish Erik's residency status. Please consider helping Mary and Erik on their journey to restore their family to normalcy for the sake of themselves and the grandchildren they raise together.