Support Carina’s Family - Rosmery Alvarado

Hello, my name is Carina Moran. I had started out using a template to help me write this but it didn’t feel right and I just couldn’t express how devastated I feel right now.

I am the daughter of two immigrants, my father was born in El Salvador and my mother was born in Guatemala. My dad recently became a US citizen after a decade of hard work and multiple long drives to interviews. Today (Wed. 4/23) was my mom’s turn to present herself for her first interview. For an entire week leading up to today, I cried and prayed that my mom would stay home and that she was going to a routine interview. Unfortunately, we were lied to, and our family has been torn apart.

Today, my parents presented themselves with a plan -- ready for their interview at the USCIS office in Kansas City. After discussing the process of the interview with our lawyer, my parents entered the building and I sat outside expecting both of them to walk out later. After an hour, I watched my dad and lawyer walk out without my mom.

We were lied to. My dad went over the experience over and over again. He repeated the words of the officers “everything looks good for you two, and things will be okay”. My dad was asked to step out of the office where my mom was sitting. The second he did, she was detained by two immigration officers. She was taken out the back side of the building and put into a white van. All we could do was watch.

My mother is now being held at an ICE facility multiple hours away, and we were told she will be sent back to her country within 2-3 days. During those days, we will not know anything about her until we can speak to her virtually ONLY. I will not get to hug my mom or say goodbye, my siblings won’t get to either, and my dad has to take on all of her responsibilities alone. I am heartbroken that she will not watch us graduate, she won’t be there during the most important moments of our lives and I won’t get to share my first experiences with her anymore. I will miss her every day because I can’t see or hear her. I didn’t realize how much I need her every day.

Right now, my family is in need of help getting her back. I started the GoFundMe to help with expenses on paying to internationally mail her belongings, get her set up in her home, legal assistance, and medical care for her diabetes and tumor treatments. Anything helps. If you can’t donate, please share.