Support the Espinoza Family’s Fight to Reunite

I was fortunate enough to meet Ines 7 years ago in my last year of graduate school. I was eager to start my career as a bilingual psychiatric social worker, but even then I knew I had SO much to learn in both psychology and the Spanish language. Ines happened to be working in my field placement for the year and was kind (and patient) enough to be a mentor, giving me invaluable lessons on the Spanish language and what it means to be both a fierce advocate, and a compassionate, astute clinician. For whatever reason, she did not tire of my presence and I started to get to know her family- her husband, Remi, and their 2 children, Jay and Yvette. Ines remained a key piece of my sanity through grad school and entering the professional world. Remi became my family’s go-to person for contract work, just like he was for many other families and businesses. His hard work and honesty took much of the stress out of home repairs/updates.

5 years ago, in 2019, the day after Ines had picked out a bridesmaids dress for my wedding, she got the call at work that Remi was involved in a traffic stop that led to his arrest and detainment as an undocumented immigrant. While detained CDC protocol was not followed and Remi almost lost his life to COVID. 1 year later he was denied release and deported to Nicaragua after living in the US for over 30 years. Since then, this beautiful family has been through hell in seeking reunification. While unable to maintain consistent employment as an undocumented individual, Remi worked hard as a private contractor to provide financial support for his family. His skills made it possible for them to purchase a house as he could repair and maintain it with minimal assistance. Additionally, the legal fees of seeking a visa are astronomical, being charged for even email communication with a lawyer.

Remi has had to spend years fighting to defend his character to a biased system that is only interested in denying him entry. Jay and Yvette have been robbed of having their father present for life milestones, like high school and college graduation. Ines has been fighting every day, for 5 years, researching immigration and working 2-3 jobs to afford legal fees, travel costs, and daily living expenses. I have seen her have to make the impossible decision of either paying for an immigration form, or paying for a boiler so her and her children could have heat for the winter. Ines and Remi have now turned to government representatives for support due to the widespread, systematic impact of the flaws/biases in the immigration system. Even after all of the work they have put in, and all the fees they have paid, bias and prejudice within the immigration system may still prevent Remi from being allowed to reunite with his family in the USA. However they feel they can’t give up until they know they have exhausted all options. With seemingly no end to this battle in the near future, I feel it is only fair to repay the Espinoza Family for all the kindness and generosity they have provided me.

So far they have spent over $12,000 in legal fees. They are currently trying to collect $5,000 for the most current round of immigration forms, but expect to need to pay an additional $3,500+ in the near future. These numbers are solely what they have had to pay to either lawyers or government systems to request visa qualification (not even to apply for one).