Hello, my name is Andrea, and I’m from the state of Michoacán. I’m here with my husband and my two kids, and I’m going to share with you my testimony.
The reason we left Michoacán is that my husband was threatened with death if he did not work for the mafia. We had to leave in secret, without saying goodbye to anybody, not even family. It was very hard for us because we had to leave at night. We walked for three hours to get to the station where we could board a bus to head to the city. From there we took a truck to Morelia and arrived here. The journey took two nights and one day in the truck with the children.
We arrived in Nogales on November 30, 2019, one year ago. When we arrived, we felt strange; we didn’t know anybody, people ignored us and didn’t even turn to look at us. We didn’t know where to go. After they gave us a waitlist number at the port of entry, we didn’t know where to go. We called someone who had passed through Nogales, and they told us about the La Roca shelter. We were told it was closed, so we decided to see for ourselves whether this was the case. We took a taxi, and it turned out to be open. The pastor welcomed us warmly.
In my situation, I feel that the kids in my state are in a lot of danger. On two occasions I saw children being taken from their mothers. The mafia came and kidnapped them, returning them without their organs. Nobody wants to see their kids like that. As a mother, that’s why I’m here waiting, suffering—so that we might have a chance to get away from the danger. The United States is a safer place, especially for children. I believe that children deserve to live in a place without violence, to be free, and not to be shut in because they are in danger.
In my case, we don’t have support from people in other places. We survive off of what we earn from our work and with the support of Kino. We struggle with rent; sometimes we ask if we can pay in installments. It’s hard because when we go out with the kids they ask us for everything, and we can’t give them anything.
To Mr. President [Biden], I ask that you put yourself for a moment in our shoes and that you open the doors for us. We are just people who want a better future for our families, a future free of violence. I imagine that the president-elect would want a better future for his family too.
The reason we left Michoacán is that my husband was threatened with death if he did not work for the mafia. We had to leave in secret, without saying goodbye to anybody, not even family. It was very hard for us because we had to leave at night. We walked for three hours to get to the station where we could board a bus to head to the city. From there we took a truck to Morelia and arrived here. The journey took two nights and one day in the truck with the children.
We arrived in Nogales on November 30, 2019, one year ago. When we arrived, we felt strange; we didn’t know anybody, people ignored us and didn’t even turn to look at us. We didn’t know where to go. After they gave us a waitlist number at the port of entry, we didn’t know where to go. We called someone who had passed through Nogales, and they told us about the La Roca shelter. We were told it was closed, so we decided to see for ourselves whether this was the case. We took a taxi, and it turned out to be open. The pastor welcomed us warmly.
In my situation, I feel that the kids in my state are in a lot of danger. On two occasions I saw children being taken from their mothers. The mafia came and kidnapped them, returning them without their organs. Nobody wants to see their kids like that. As a mother, that’s why I’m here waiting, suffering—so that we might have a chance to get away from the danger. The United States is a safer place, especially for children. I believe that children deserve to live in a place without violence, to be free, and not to be shut in because they are in danger.
In my case, we don’t have support from people in other places. We survive off of what we earn from our work and with the support of Kino. We struggle with rent; sometimes we ask if we can pay in installments. It’s hard because when we go out with the kids they ask us for everything, and we can’t give them anything.
To Mr. President [Biden], I ask that you put yourself for a moment in our shoes and that you open the doors for us. We are just people who want a better future for our families, a future free of violence. I imagine that the president-elect would want a better future for his family too.
