Hello!

We are Chris and Laura, a queer/trans couple in our 30s living in Sacramento, California.  In January 2019, we became sponsors to two young Honduran transgender women, Merelin and Dari, who recently arrived in the US seeking asylum.  We are committed to providing a safe home and covering their basic needs for at least one year.  We are seeking financial support from our friends, family, and greater community.  Your donation will go directly to supporting Merelin and Dari’s well-being for one year (food, transportation, health care, clothes, personal items, phone bills, etc).
 
Merelin and Dari are 24 and 19 years old.  They left their family and friends in Honduras and walked almost 3,000 miles to Tijuana, seeking safety in the US.  With other LGBT immigrants, they broke off from the main “caravan” because they experienced discrimination by the other migrants.  Their journey was harrowing; they were harassed, Merelin was robbed, they slept on the streets.
 
When they arrived at the U.S. border, ICE detained Merelin and Dari at the privately-owned Cibola Detention Center.  This detention center was recently in the news because a trans woman from Honduras died there due to suspected abuse.  As Latina trans women, Merelin and Dari were particularly vulnerable to harm in the US prison system, and without sponsors, they would've remained in detention.  Through the Santa Fe Dreamers Project,* we volunteered to sponsor two LGBTQ asylum-seekers and were matched with Merelin and Dari.  We feel very lucky because they are awesome!
 
Merelin and Dari are survivors.  Honduras is one of the most violent countries in the world, especially for transgender women.  About 40 LGBT people are murdered every year, in a small country with less than 1/30th the U.S. population.  Merelin and Dari's home city, San Pedro Sula, has been deemed the “murder capital of the world.”
 
Merelin and Dari arrived in Sacramento with just two small bags of donated clothes. Since the night we picked them up at the airport, we have gone from strangers to like family. With impromptu fashion shows, punta dance lessons, tortilla-making sessions, and laughter, they make our house is fuller and warmer. With our assistance, Merelin and Dari are practicing English, learning all there is to know about living in the US, participating in community events, and making friends. They are helping us make a garden, raise chickens and improve our Spanish. As asylum seekers, they cannot currently work legally, and in a few months they may or may not receive work permits (this is at an asylum officer’s discretion).
 
Many people have expressed a desire to do something to help migrants, to show we are welcoming and caring despite the US government's hostility.  Our Go Fund Me is an opportunity for you to contribute directly to the survival of two especially vulnerable immigrants and express support for LGBTQ+ immigrants.

Our goal is to raise $12,000 by June 1. After covering basic living expenses for one year, any remaining donated funds will be given directly to Merelin and Dari to start living independently.
 
WE ARE INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR GENEROSITY AND SUPPORT.  Please contact us with any questions and for instructions on making a large donation ($500+) as they can be tax deductible.
 

    * For more information about the work of the Santa Fe Dreamers                  
       Project and the plight of LGBTQ asylum seekers from Central  
       America:
 
      http://www.santafedreamersproject.org 
 
      https://www.out.com/news-opinion/2019/2/05/queer-migrants-seeking-asylum-us-mexico-border