vmo : thePdidit (if you can’t support here)

Whipple Open Mic - My Family's Experience With ICE

(link to when I spoke out at Whipple / my experience with ICE)

My family’s life changed forever when my dad was taken by ICE while I was away at Marine boot camp at Camp Pendleton. The last time I truly saw my dad was before I left for training. After that, the only time I saw him again was behind glass — not knowing when or if I would ever hug him again.

Since my dad was wrongfully taken, our family has been trying to survive emotionally and financially. Everything fell onto my mom’s shoulders overnight.

I have a 5-year-old sister, a 15-year-old sister, and two teenage brothers, ages 16 and 17, who live with my mom in a small apartment she can barely afford. My mom has been from job to job for the past 2 years and is drowning in debt, all while trying to care for my 4 siblings.

My dad now works in Mexico but earns very little, and my mom constantly travels back and forth between Mexico and the United States — trying to work, support us, and make sure my dad can live safely while still caring for the kids at home.

The stress on her is unimaginable.

Because my mom cannot financially support all of us anymore, my three older sisters — ages 18, 19, and 22 — have had to live on their own. Including myself, we have all been forced to figure out adulthood early and live independently while still trying to support our family emotionally and financially.

I don’t like asking for money, but I am asking now because my mom works endlessly to keep our family afloat, and no one should have to carry this much alone.

Since everything happened, I have been attending Whipple protests, No Kings protests, Iran protests, and other ICE-out demonstrations to stand in solidarity with people who have gone through similar pain. I also shared my family’s story during an open mic at Whipple, where speaking openly about what we have experienced helped me begin to heal. Being surrounded by people who listened showed me that I am not alone — that there is a community willing to support one another while going through the unimaginable.

Because you listened to me, I now ask you to listen to my need for action to help my family.

This fundraiser will help:

    •    Support my mom as she cares for four children at home

    •    Help with travel expenses between

Mexico and the U.S.

    •    Assist my dad with basic living costs

    •    Relieve financial stress so our family can focus on healing instead of just surviving.

Every donation, share, or kind word truly means the world to us.

My family has always worked hard and supported others — now we are asking for help during a time we never expected to face.

Thank you for reading our story and for standing with my family.

F**K ICE,

Lorenzo