Love knows no borders. Cruelly, international politics does.

Valerie and I met nearly three and a half years ago and fell in love. She is Venezuelan; I am American. Because of political and legal barriers, neither of us could safely or legally travel to each other’s country. Instead, we cherished any time we could spend together in Colombia and Brazil.

To build a future together, we applied for the humanitarian parole program for Venezuelans, created in response to the ongoing crisis that has forced so many to seek refuge in the U.S. After waiting 18 months, Valerie was finally approved, arriving in the U.S. on June 2, 2024. She was granted a two-year visa and legal work authorization.

However, the new administration has abruptly canceled this program, forcing Valerie—and literally hundreds of thousands of others—to leave the US by April 24, 2025.

We recently married and refuse to be separated. Since staying together in the U.S. is no longer an option, I am leaving with her. We have chosen Brazil as our new home, a country that welcomes immigrants more openly than either of ours.

This decision, though made with love, comes at great sacrifice. We have both had to abruptly leave our jobs and will be arriving in Brazil with little more a couple small suitcases, a few modest dreams, and a love bigger than our two ever-dividing hemispheres.

We are deeply grateful to anyone who takes the time to read our story. Any contribution, big or small, will help us cover travel costs and living expenses for the first few weeks as we search for stability in our new life together.

Thank you for your kindness and support.