Antonio Corona is a father, a son, a partner, a stepdad, and a devoted worker whose life was ripped away in an instant. What should have been a simple flight home turned into a nightmare that has left his family shattered and unsure if he will ever make it back to California. Antonio was at the gate at Washington International Airport, waiting to board his flight, when officers suddenly approached and ordered him to come with them. There were no signed documents, no clear explanation, and no proof of any legal basis for detaining him, only a vague claim that his “supervision was being revoked,” something that makes no sense given that he had been allowed to travel and had the legal right to live in the United States. Instead of going home, he was taken into custody in another state, leaving him cut off from the lawyer who previously won his case and secured his right to remain here. Now, Antonio is trapped in limbo, held thousands of miles away, with no clear timeline, no answers, and no guarantee he will be allowed to return to his life.

Behind Antonio is a family that depends on him in every way. He has two children who rely on his emotional presence and financial support: a 19‑year‑old daughter he has been helping through beauty school, rebuilding and deepening their bond after surviving a prior 16‑month ICE detention in 2021, and a 7‑year‑old son in another state with whom he keeps a loving, consistent relationship. He is also a caring stepfather with a close, active role in his stepdaughter’s life. His partner witnessed the moment he was taken and now lives with the daily anguish of that loss, trying to hold the household together while navigating fear, grief, and uncertainty. Antonio is not only a family man but also a caregiver to others in his community. He built a career in the medical field, working for a company that serves elders and veterans who need oxygen and other critical support, work he took deep pride in.

The funds raised will go toward astronomical legal fees to fight for Antonio's right to remain in the United States. Without legal help, he faces deportation to El Salvador, where he knows nobody and would have nothing. From inside detention, Antonio describes what he is living through as “complete mental torture,” a constant psychological torment of not knowing if or when he will be allowed to go home. He shares that he feels like his life and destiny are in the hands of strangers, that the conditions are worse than prison, that he often has no access to a phone, that requests for legal help or basic needs go unanswered, that the food is barely enough to sustain an adult, that the bathroom offers no privacy, that he has been threatened with “the hole,” and that he has been left in the cold with inadequate clothing in a state where it is snowing. He believes the system is designed to break him, but he refuses to give up, because his family is waiting for him.

Antonio's loved ones are fighting for him, but they cannot do this alone. They do not know how long this battle will last or how many legal and practical hurdles they will face to bring him home where he belongs. They are holding on to hope that he can be reunited with his family for the holidays, but the reality is that the timeline is unknown and the costs, emotional, legal, and financial, are overwhelming. Please consider helping Antonio and his family in any way you can. Your support can mean the difference between despair and a real chance at bringing him home: to his children who miss him, to his partner who needs him, and to his aging father who fears running out of time. Anything helps, every contribution, every share, every bit of solidarity brings Antonio one step closer to returning to the life and the people he has worked so hard to build and protect.