OUR STORY!
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I am hoping that as of today, many of you know our story and have had the opportunity to share it if that is something you are compelled to do. If not, I would like to share it with you.
My husband Fernando was detained by ICE on October 11th, 2017, after just having dropped off our 4 year old at daycare. Today, he still sits detained at the West County Detention Center. Fernando is a hard-working man, extremely goal oriented, a wonderful husband, a loving father and just a great human being. Our daughters and I, are facing one of the worst nightmares of our lives and wake up every morning, still hoping this was really just a nightmare. Not only are we facing extreme emotional suffering, but we are also now confronted with an enormous financial hardship. Thanks to his hard work, Fernando was the primary provider for our home, but as a result of his detainment, I have been left with the task to figure out how we will make ends meet, while also being the only emotional and physical support for our 3 girls who are 15, 11, and 4.
Laws are laws and I respect that just as my husband does. However, when one particular person said he would only go after criminals we somehow hoped that was the case. Sadly, now we see it was a lie because Fernando is the furthest thing from being a criminal. Anyone who knows him, would undoubtedly vouch for that.
Still, with that being said, at his first court hearing yesterday, it was confirmed that he won't be home for Thanksgiving, Christmas or even New Years. If we are lucky, he may be allowed to come home sometime in mid January and that is if we are lucky and God listens to our prayers. Therefore, at this time, I am reaching out to those of you who feel it in your heart to help our family out. I need to make sure our daughters have a roof over their heads, food on the table and that their basic needs are met. In addition, the weekly drive from San Jose to Richmond, also adds up as do the collect calls that we receive from Fernando, although those are definitely the highlight of our evenings.
I am staying faithful that God has a plan for our family and that He will soon reunite us. Living this has pushed me towards working with others to speak up for those who don't have a voice, for those who are afraid of the repercussions if they do speak up. I will continue to believe that God chose us for a specific reason and I will use that to give me the strength to move forward and work tirelessly to bring Fernando home and reunite other families who are living with the same pain we are.
My husband Fernando was detained by ICE on October 11th, 2017, after just having dropped off our 4 year old at daycare. Today, he still sits detained at the West County Detention Center. Fernando is a hard-working man, extremely goal oriented, a wonderful husband, a loving father and just a great human being. Our daughters and I, are facing one of the worst nightmares of our lives and wake up every morning, still hoping this was really just a nightmare. Not only are we facing extreme emotional suffering, but we are also now confronted with an enormous financial hardship. Thanks to his hard work, Fernando was the primary provider for our home, but as a result of his detainment, I have been left with the task to figure out how we will make ends meet, while also being the only emotional and physical support for our 3 girls who are 15, 11, and 4.
Laws are laws and I respect that just as my husband does. However, when one particular person said he would only go after criminals we somehow hoped that was the case. Sadly, now we see it was a lie because Fernando is the furthest thing from being a criminal. Anyone who knows him, would undoubtedly vouch for that.
Still, with that being said, at his first court hearing yesterday, it was confirmed that he won't be home for Thanksgiving, Christmas or even New Years. If we are lucky, he may be allowed to come home sometime in mid January and that is if we are lucky and God listens to our prayers. Therefore, at this time, I am reaching out to those of you who feel it in your heart to help our family out. I need to make sure our daughters have a roof over their heads, food on the table and that their basic needs are met. In addition, the weekly drive from San Jose to Richmond, also adds up as do the collect calls that we receive from Fernando, although those are definitely the highlight of our evenings.
I am staying faithful that God has a plan for our family and that He will soon reunite us. Living this has pushed me towards working with others to speak up for those who don't have a voice, for those who are afraid of the repercussions if they do speak up. I will continue to believe that God chose us for a specific reason and I will use that to give me the strength to move forward and work tirelessly to bring Fernando home and reunite other families who are living with the same pain we are.
Organizer
Lourdes Barraza
Organizer
San Jose, CA
