Adniel tragically lost his biological mother at 5 years old to medical malpractice. From that point on, he was raised by his grandmother. As many of you know, due to politics, Adniel has been unable to return home to see his family for 19 years (it will be 20 years in January). Now the woman that raised him, who he calls mom, is in poor health due to old age and kidney failure. Adniel wants to see her more than anything.

With the help of a specialized lawyer and a local Mexican immigrant organization, Adniel has the chance to obtain a one-time travel permit, but it will cost a lot of money. The permit itself is $5,000. He would like to spend a few weeks to a month with his family, which will cause him to miss work while still needing to pay his rent and bills (both at home and the print shop). With airfare and other travel expenses factored in, a low estimate for all of this is $4,000. If the travel visa is denied, he will need to go before a judge, which will cost him another $5,000. If the travel visa is approved, not only would he be able to see his mom, it would be a stepping stone towards progress in his ongoing immigration case.

Many of you know Adniel through his silkscreen work, participation in the Philly punk scene, his activity in Indigenous dance/drumming groups and his presence at Indigenous Pow Wows nationally. To know Adniel is to know one of the most level-headed, generous, egoless and humble people around. He is also the hardest working person you have ever met! Family, both chosen and blood, are extremely important to him, especially as a disenfranchised person physically separated from his family by borders drawn and circumstances created by the long legacy of colonialism in the Americas.

To talk about these politics in the abstract is one thing, but to see it exemplified in your friend's life is another. Adniel’s entire life trajectory has been shaped by colonization. From the policies that led to his biological mother’s death, the financial climate that caused his family to send him away and now the walls that have barred him from seeing his ailing mother, Adniel has weathered a storm that many of us could never begin to understand. Our friend is worried sick (sometimes literally) about his mother. For him not to be able to see her is an injustice I wish upon no one. Despite it all, Adniel remains optimistic and pushes forward. He is coming to the community to ask for help. Let’s band together to let Adniel know that we stand with him and send him home to see his mom.