<div>My name is José Jerez, I'm 18 years old, and I came to Vermont looking for a better future. After losing my best friend to gun violence in New Orleans, I was searching for safety and a sense of stability. But within five months of arriving, my Uncle, the only family I had here, was taken from me as well. On Wednesday, March 11th, 2026 <a href="https://www.sevendaysvt.com/news/dozens-protest-at-scene-of-ice-action-in-south-burlington/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">my life was upended by a violent ICE raid</a>.
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<div>Federal immigration agents broke down the door of our home on Dorset Street in South Burlington. They were <a href="https://www.sevendaysvt.com/news/immigration-news/man-sought-by-ice-wasnt-in-besieged-south-burlington-home/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">searching for someone else entirely</a>. That person was not there. But when ICE left, they took my Uncle, Christian, with them anyway. His attorney has since filed court petitions arguing that his detention was unlawful, and federal judges have issued emergency orders blocking authorities from moving him out of state. Christian is still detained. We are still fighting.
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<div>I was there that day. I did nothing wrong. And what happened to me in my own home, I want you to know it, because it matters.
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<div>It was chaotic. I thought I was going to die. They put a gun in my face. The door was open the whole time; I don't know why they needed to use force to get into the house. They grabbed us and threw us on the floor. They handcuffed me. They slammed me against the wall. They didn't take me out of handcuffs until they saw my ID. And then they forced their way into my pockets and took my phone. They took my ID, and they left with it. I asked for my ID back five times. He never gave it back.
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<div>I couldn't stop them. I couldn't protect my Uncle. I couldn't do anything but watch as they took him away.
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<div>And then they were gone. And so was Christian, my Uncle.
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<div>I was left alone in that house with nothing; ICE had detained everyone else. I had no phone to call anyone. No ID to prove who I am. No Uncle who has been my only family here in Vermont. Just a broken door, and silence, and a kind of fear that never leaves you even after the chaos does.
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<div>I did nothing wrong. I was just home.
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<div>I am asking for your help because I cannot do this alone. The money raised here will go directly to me, and I will make sure it reaches where it is needed most, including support for my Uncle Christian as he fights for his freedom. Here is what we need:
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<div>— Legal fees for my Uncle's ongoing court hearings and his fight for release
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<div>— Replacement of my stolen phone and ID
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<div>— Basic living expenses for me as I navigate this without my Uncle
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<div>— Emergency support for me, my Uncle, his wife, and kids as we fight for his release
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<div>I know that on March 11, hundreds of people stood outside that house in the rain. They stood there for us. They sang. They linked arms. They said that our lives matter and that we would not be left alone.
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<div>I felt that. I still feel it.
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<div>If you were one of those people, or if you wish you had been, this is another way to stand with us. Please give what you can. Please share this widely. Every dollar tells us that this community has not forgotten us. That you see us. That you are still here.
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<div>We are still here, too.
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<div>— José
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<div>Soy José Jerez, tengo 18 años y vine a Vermont buscando un mejor futuro. Después de perder a mi mejor amigo en un asalto armado en Nueva Orleans, busqué seguridad y una sensación de estabilidad. Pero a los cinco meses de llegar, mi tío Christian- la única familia que tengo aquí - fue detenido por ICE. <a href="https://www-sevendaysvt-com.translate.goog/news/dozens-protest-at-scene-of-ice-action-in-south-burlington/?_x_tr_sl=en&amp;_x_tr_tl=es&amp;_x_tr_hl=en-US&amp;_x_tr_pto=wapp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">El miércoles 11 de marzo</a> de este año mi vida cambió drásticamente debido a una violenta redada de agentes del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE).
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<div>Los agentes ICE tumbaron la puerta de nuestra casa en la Calle Dorset en South Burlington. Entraron en búsqueda de una <a href="https://www-sevendaysvt-com.translate.goog/news/immigration-news/man-sought-by-ice-wasnt-in-besieged-south-burlington-home/?_x_tr_sl=en&amp;_x_tr_tl=es&amp;_x_tr_hl=en-US&amp;_x_tr_pto=wapp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">persona totalmente distinta</a>, que no estaba en nuestra casa. Pero aun así, al marcharse, ICE se llevó a mi tío de todos modos. Desde entonces su abogado ha presentado peticiones judiciales explicando que su detención fue ilegal y los jueces federales han emitido órdenes de emergencia que impiden a las autoridades trasladarlo fuera del estado. Christian sigue detenido y seguimos luchando.
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<div>Yo, por coincidencia, estuve en la casa ese día. No hice nada mal. Y quiero que sepan lo que me ocurrió en mi propia casa, porque es importante.
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<div>Fue un caos. Pensé que iba a morir. Me apuntaron con un arma a la cara. La puerta estuvo abierta todo el tiempo, no sé por qué usaron fuerza para entrar. Nos agarraron y nos arrojaron al suelo. Me esposaron. Me tiraron contra la pared. No me quitaron las esposas hasta ver mi identificación. A la fuerza buscaron en mis bolsillos y se llevaron mi teléfono. También se llevaron mi identificación y se marcharon con ella. Les pedí cinco veces que me la devolvieran pero nunca me la devolvieron.
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<div>No pude detenerlos. Ni pude proteger a mi tío. No pude hacer nada más que mirar mientras se lo llevaban.
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<div>Quedé solo en esa casa sin nada: sin teléfono para llamar a nadie, sin identificación para demostrar quién soy, sin mi tío que es mi única familia aquí. Solo me quedo con una puerta destrozada, el silencio y un tipo de miedo que no me abandona, ni siquiera ahora que el caos ya ha pasado.
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<div>No hice nada mal. Simplemente estaba en casa.
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<div>Les pido su ayuda porque no puedo hacer esto solo. El dinero recaudado aquí en GoFundMe llegará directamente a mí y yo mismo me aseguraré de que se use  donde más hay necesidad, sobre todo para apoyar a mi tío Christian mientras luchamos por su libertad.
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<div>Un resumen de lo que se necesita:
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<div>-Gastos legales para las audiencias judiciales de Christian
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<div>-El remplazo de mi teléfono y mi identificación, los cuales fueron robados
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<div>-Gastos básicos de subsistencia para mí, mientras atravieso esta situación sin mi tío
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<div>-Apoyo de emergencia mientras esperamos y mantenemos la esperanza
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<div>Sé que el 11 de marzo cientos de personas permanecieron presente bajo la lluvia frente a nuestra casa. Estuvieron allí por nosotros. Cantaron. Se tomaron de los brazos. Dijeron que nuestras vidas importan y que no nos dejarían solos.
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<div>Sentí ese apoyo. Y todavía lo siento, con agradecimiento 
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<div>Si eres una de esas personas - o te hubiese gustado ser - esta es otra manera de apoyarnos. Por favor, dona lo que puedas y ayudanos con compartir esto ampliamente. Cada donación nos dice que esta comunidad no nos ha olvidado y que ustedes nos reconocen y que siguen aquí, apoyandonos.
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<div>Nosotros también seguimos aquí.
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<div>-José
</div>
<div><br />
</div>

Katherine Stahl

Nicholas Lemon

Casey Culp

Tayler Pilkington

Meaghan Hickey

carolyn Tesini

Melissa Zeiger

Caroline Quattlander

Susan Schoenfeld

Anonymous

Spencer Putnam

Emily Sloan

Jason Butters

Regan Eberhart

Harlee Madsen

Archer Parks

Alex Fruge

Support the Jerez Family after Violent ICE Raid

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platform

Platform is iOS

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Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

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Person ids

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Support the Jerez Family after Violent ICE Raid

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