On Friday, September 25, our 22-year-old friend Joshua was taken by ICE, because as the officer told him, “you look Mexican.”

Joshua is legally allowed to be in this country. His immigration case was administratively closed and never re-opened. He followed the rules, yet he has now been in a detention center for over a week, and his family still doesn’t know when—or if—he will be released.

Joshua came here from Guatemala when he was 11 and went to elementary, middle, and high school in Clairemont, where he still lives with his family. He grew up here. San Diego is his home.

Joshua is the same age as my daughter and I’ve known him since he was a teenager, when he’d come to our house to help his dad with the landscaping. Almost 5 years ago, Joshua started coming on his own each week, and I’ve seen him grow into the kind-hearted and hard-working young man he is today. Over the years, he’s become someone we care about deeply.

His family has hired an attorney and is trying to bring him home as quickly as possible. They hope to secure his release through an immigration bond that could cost up to $25,000 or more, in addition to legal fees and the financial impact will continue even after he is home. These costs are overwhelming. Not to mention the agony of his family and psychological costs of being incarcerated.

Please consider giving whatever you can. Even $5 or $10 helps, and every message of support will mean so much to him and his family. Please write him support messages and send to anyone you know who will do the same. It will mean more than you can ever know.

Please. Help us bring Joshua home.