Bring Marcos Home: Help Reunite Our Family

We are the Rodriguez Saltos family. For nearly 25 years, Marcos has been the center of our lives—my high school sweetheart, my husband, and the father of our four beautiful children. From the moment we said “I do” in 2007 at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius of Loyola, we built a life rooted in love, faith, and the dream of raising our children together.

But on May 1st, everything was ripped away from us. Marcos was suddenly detained and wrongfully deported by ICE. In an instant, our family was torn apart. My partner, my children’s father, the man who has never stopped fighting for us—gone.

The pain is unbearable. Our home feels empty without him. Every day, our kids ask when their dad is coming back, and I don’t have the answer they desperately need.

• Erick, our oldest, is serving in the Air Force. Marcos would beam with pride every time he spoke about him, but now Erick wears that uniform without his father’s arms to welcome him home.

• Sophia, our daughter, is a senior in high school. She dreamed of sharing her last year of milestones with her dad—prom, homecoming, graduation. She cries knowing he may miss them all.

• Nick, who is on the autism spectrum, pushed himself into the IB program this year. He said through tears, “Dad would be proud of me.” He deserves to see that pride in his father’s eyes, not just imagine it.

• And our youngest, Marcos Jr., aches for those soccer games with his dad—their secret ritual before every match. Every goal he scores now feels like it’s missing the person he scored it for.

I see their hearts breaking, and mine shatters a little more each day.

Marcos was not just our provider—he was our protector, our guide, the glue that held our family together. Now I am left to carry this weight alone, both financially and emotionally. We had dreams for our children, for their future, for our family. Without him, those dreams feel so far away.

Marcos’ deportation was wrongful, and we are fighting to bring him home through a federal lawsuit. But the legal fees are staggering—far beyond what I can handle while raising four children alone.

This is why I am asking for help.

Every dollar, every share of our story, brings us one step closer to reuniting our family. Our children deserve their father. I deserve my husband. We deserve the chance to put our lives back together.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading, for caring, and for standing with us in this fight. Your kindness gives us hope in the darkest moment of our lives.