Hi, my name is Kat, and when I was a small child, Ellie came to live with my family as a nanny. She was 16 years old, from El Salvador, and spoke no English. But she survived, claimed asylum (back when there was such a thing), and made a life for herself here in the Bay Area.

Fast forward to today, Ellie is still taking care of people's children, and is now a full US citizen. However, her brother, Isaias, is not, although he has been in the US for over 20 years and had a valid work permit that he renewed and paid for every year, on top of income taxes. He was working for a company that paints the beautiful historic Victorian homes in San Francisco.

Isaias is the kind of person who spent entire nights in the hospital with his and Ellie's sick mother, never leaving her side. That’s the kind of love and loyalty he has always shown to his family and community.

His one mistake was leaving the country one time to visit family he had not seen in decades back in El Salvador. He is now being forced to leave his home and return to El Salvador – a country with an unstable government whose people have seen unspeakable violence – and he is barred from returning for a decade.

This also means that Isaias is leaving behind his pregnant wife and 2-year-old son.

It may not surprise you to know that there are not great job prospects in El Salvador. It will take time for him to get on his feet, and for this, he needs a little help. It would mean so much to us if you'd chip in whatever you can. Ellie took care of me for years and is family to me, so I want to help her.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and share this story.

- Kat