I’ve hesitated to share this part of my life. It’s heavy, and honestly, it’s something I’m still processing every single day. But my story deserves to be heard, and if you’re here, I want you to know the real me.

My life changed in an instant. I was simply heading to work, pulling out of my driveway, when I was suddenly surrounded by five unmarked vehicles. Men in masks with no identification pulled me from my car. Before I could process what was happening, I was caught in a system that felt designed to break me.

The hardest part wasn't just the uncertainty; it was the unfairness. I was deported for something that happened when I was a baby. I didn't choose to come here, but I have been here my entire life 41 years. I went to school here, went to college, met my first love, paid taxes, and donated my time to nonprofits. I feel as American as anyone born here.

I am not a "case number" or a "bum." I am a skilled welder and a maintenance professional who knows hydraulics, electrical, and heavy equipment. I built myself up from nothing to hold high positions in manufacturing and eventually owned my own business. I love working and contributing. But in a heartbeat, I was separated from the life I worked so hard to build and sent to a place I have never known. Being deported felt like being erased.

I’m sharing this because I’m tired of people like me being made to feel like "trash." I am a good man with a heart, a story, and a future. I am trying to come back from this with more resilience than I ever knew I had.

But for the first time in my life, I need help. I have never asked for any help before, but I have no way to work right now. My paperwork was taken, and I have nothing here in Mexico. It is going to take time to get established. Right now, I have no way to pay my bills back in the States while my family tries to sell my belongings, nor any way to earn money here while I wait for local documents which I having trouble with right now because I never had any here and there's problems with my birth certificate right now.

I feel truly humbled asking for help, but I have no other options left. Thank you for listening to my story. If you are able to help, please know it means the world to me. Thank you so much.