Sí… paz
I work at the border. Myself and many others on my Bay Area Border relief team. Not directly right now, yet distance is not a deterrent. We are receiving immigrant brothers and sisters at the coast of the Bay Area.
If you know the song “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire, you may remember the 21st night, it was yesterday… the day when I visited and met my newest friends who came all the way from Venezuela. I presented them with gifts from my local friends… a pack of teenie-tiny diapers, formula, and $125 cash.
I got to drive along the coast, my son behind-the-wheel for practice. He waited in the car for me — the five minutes I’d said I’d be turned into 15. I was meeting them for the first time, mask on, in their living room we stood. I learned from my Bay Area Border Relief (BABR) team not to ask specifics about their journey, because much of it can be post-traumatic.
I asked side-bars, like, “Have you met any other Venezuelans around these parts?” His face lit up, “Yes! A reporter who came to the high school where PUENTE was providing fire relief struck a conversation with me. He was from Telemundo, and originally from Venezuela.” The conversation turned to gratefulness, as I stated, many friends in my circles were glad they were here. Then, the story began… it is so much detail, and although six months have passed since entry into the U.S., he remembers the date in March when he called Belinda and Lilli Rey for assistance. Other connections/sponsors had fallen through, yet he had met these angels in Matamoros, MX. Back in January 2020, his family had been present in front of the judge, around the time current administration had passed legislature around no entry allowed unless asylum seekers had attempted to seek asylum in at least 2 or 3 of the countries they had traversed before arriving to the U.S. border. He says, “Can you imagine that? It meant I would’ve had to apply along our way in Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, and expecting a denial.” And every application point would’ve meant a waiting period. I asked how are they making ends meet? “Estoy trabajando en A.L.A.S.,” then he runs to a back room, returnning with business cards. He has started his own business detailing cars! He has his set of cleaning items, just needs to connect to power and water to clean your car. Long story short, one of our BABR members, a Godsend, helped with the legalities… bottom line… they have qualified for asylum. But you know what? He is still wearing his ankle monitor, he showed me by lifting his loose pants and it looked tight on his ankle. I ended our brief conversation saying I’d be back… closing words, “A community of us are glad you arrived, and that you have found some sort of peace.” His response, “Sí……… paz…….”
