On the morning of November 4th, my precious mother was detained during her yearly routine ICE check-in (USCIS CHS). She was accompanied by my oldest sibling, my youngest sibling, and me. Per ICE protocol, they signed in at the kiosk, which later emailed my sibling to confirm her check-in and provided instructions to return the following year. Without acknowledging that confirmation email, ICE detained her and took her away. We were left in fear and confusion, with no information about her whereabouts for 24 hours. Never in my life could I have imagined my tiny, Indigenous mother in handcuffs.
She is now being held at the Stewart Detention Center, a private facility in Lumpkin, Georgia, where we await her trial. Her case has been closed as we continue searching for any possible way to bring her back home. The U.S. immigration system continues to demonstrate a deep disregard for the safety and dignity of Indigenous peoples around the world.
Argentina/Tina (our mom) has been a light in the Maya Q’anjob’al Indigenous community in Greenville, South Carolina. If you’ve ever had the privilege of sharing space with her, you know she embodies resilience, hard work, care, and love. Greenville has been her home for the past 27 years.
She came to the U.S. at age 17, escaping the devastating effects of the Guatemalan civil war, poverty, and displacement of highland Indigenous communities, she made Los Angeles her home until settling on ancestral Cherokee lands (Upstate SC). Where the blue ridge mountains remind her of home. Returning to her ancestral lands now, at 53, would be extremely difficult. She raised us on her own, and throughout our lives, ICE has always been present, taking valuable members of our community.
While we continue to resist the criminalization and dehumanization of immigrants and Indigenous peoples, there are ways our extended community can help support my mom and our family during this time:
- Covering any future/current court fees, application costs, and bond expenses
- Paying for travel and other administrative fees required throughout the process
- Supporting my mom and siblings with current living expenses
- Any remaining funds will go toward post-detention care and retirement support if she must return to Guatemala
We don’t yet know how long my siblings and I will need to continue fighting for her case (it could take weeks or even several months.) No matter the outcome, we deeply thank you for supporting and praying for Tina and her children.
NO HUMAN BEING IS ILLEGAL.
Chach Wochej y Yuj Wal Tiox!
I appreciate and thank you.
-Lucia