Selvin and His Family Need Your Help.

This isn’t the America I grew up in and love.

Selvin De Leon Lorenzo, a construction worker, who has helped me rebuild my house after hurricanes  Helene and Milton was arrested by ICE on his way to my house on July 23rd for driving while Latino. The ICE agent who arrested him admitted to my son he was not speeding, driving recklessly, or committing any other infraction. He was profiled because he was driving out of a known area where immigrants live.

Now I am all in favor of expelling undocumented aliens who are criminals. But it is a national mistake to expel diligent aliens whose only offense is entering the country without permission and who are working needed jobs, paying taxes, and contributing to our GNP.

Selvin did enter the country illegally in 2008 from Guatemala. He has worked for me and my son Jason for four years. Selvin has no criminal offenses on the U.S. or Guatemala. Selvin has been married to Ana, who came from El Salvador in 2006, for 13 years. She cleans houses including the houses my son rebuilds. Selvin and Ana have three children (Moises 13, Iker 10, Marianna8). All three children are American citizens and have never been to Guatemala or El Salvador.

Ana and Selvin were in the process of completing their T Visa application. A T VISA is a program for victims of human trafficking. When Ana was 16, she paid coyotes to bring her to the U.S. She began working as a server in Bradenton, FL. Her employer soon expanded her duties. Ana worked days as a server. Her employer forced her to work night shifts in a nightclub where she was underage and subject to sexual harassment. Her employer told her if she did not work in the nightclub, she could not continue with her server job. Selvin rescued her from having to make this choice. A T VISA applies to the entire family, so it covers Selvin. They were unaware of the T Visa program until recently and began the application process when they learned about it. Unfortunately, Selvin was arrested while they were still awaiting documentation to complete the application.

Both Ana and Selvin are youth pastors at their church, Iglesia Pentecostal Senda Antiqua, in Bradenton, FL. Selvin also plays the organ at church and several members of his work crew

belong to the church as well.

Selvin is a proud man and capable of providing for his family. He pays taxes. If he cannot find a construction job, he works as a gardener or at odd jobs. He is hard working and chasing the American Dream. He and his family are exactly the kind of immigrants we want: hard-working, honest, loving, and people of faith.

When Hurricane Milton was bearing down on us, Sondra and I heeded the evacuation warning and evacuated to Melbourne and stayed in my brother Randy’s house. Selvin and his family evacuated with us and joined us in Randy’s house. Neighbors helping neighbors. Selvin and Ana’s children are very polite and well-behaved, the type of children we all hope for.

We need to raise money for Ana and the children’s living expenses while Selvin is detained. He currently sits in the Pinellas County jail awaiting transfer to an ICE detention center, possibly Alligator Alcatraz. He can sit in jail from anywhere a couple of days to a month before ICE transfer him to a detention facility. It is only after he is transferred that his attorneys can help him.

According to Selvin’s attorney he will have a bond hearing within two months of being transferred to a detention center. The attorney’s estimated fees are $5,000. If Selvin wins his bond hearing, the bond must be paid in full in cash (no bail bondsmen). The bond will be between $2,500 - $15,000. When released, Selvin will have a deportation hearing date of uncertain time. During this time, Selvin can work.

Once Selvin has his deportation hearing, he will either be on a path to a green card through the T Visa process or deported within two weeks. We are hopeful of a favorable outcome due to their documented character, long-time presence in the U.S. without criminal records, and the fact that if Selvin is deported, Ana and the children will be forced on government assistance which is counter productive when there is a capable bread-winner for the family.

We are trying to raise $6,000 for living expenses for three months and $15,000 for legal and

bond fees.

Thank you for your support,

Jay Caldwell