Fighting to Bring Steve Home — Help Us Save Him

I’ve never met anyone like Steve. 

The man I’m in love with is kind, selfless, and deeply human. But you wouldn’t know that from the way the world has treated him. 

Steve grew up in chaos passed between people who tried, but couldn’t always give him the stability he deserved. He never had safety. He never had a real foundation. He grew up watching people give up on him, over and over again. 

And like so many who have been failed by the world around them, Steve fell into addiction. He drank to forget. He made mistakes. But even in his darkest moments, he never stopped wanting something better. 

In 2015, Steve got sober. He started to rebuild. But just when he began to rise, ICE detained him. 

Steve spent a year locked away sober, scared, waiting. During that time, it became clear that he had a potential claim to U.S. citizenship through his biological father, who had connections to the United States. 

After being released, Steve tried to move forward. But without final confirmation of his citizenship, the uncertainty weighed on him heavily. 

At times, he struggled. He fell. But he didn’t stay lost. 

In 2022, Steve found his light again and this time, he never looked back. 

He committed harder than ever before: 

• He worked out every day. 

• He completed parole. 

• He finished his DUI classes. 

• He mentored others trying to stay clean. 

• He told his story so that no one else would feel alone in their struggles. 

I’ve watched him comfort friends as well as strangers while they were going through a rough time.

I’ve seen him celebrate other people’s victories like they were his own. 

That’s who Steve is. 

And then, just a few weeks ago, ICE called again. 

Steve could have ignored it. He didn’t. He walked in, fully sober, fully accountable and they detained him on the spot. 

Now he’s sitting in a detention center, facing deportation to Brazil a country he hasn’t seen since he was a baby. 

He doesn’t speak Portuguese. 

He has no family there. 

No home. 

Nothing. 

The only thing standing between Steve and permanent exile is the opportunity to finalize the citizenship process that was started years ago and the system that too often gives up on people like him. 

Every time Steve has tried to change his life, the system punishes him. But this time, he’s not fighting alone. 

I’m fighting for him. 

And I’m asking for your help. 

Your support will help cover urgent expenses related to Steve’s situation, including:

 • Immigration legal services and other representation — approximately $12,000

• Required filing, documentation, and processing fees — approximately $3,000

Steve isn’t a threat to society. He’s a man who’s already lost everything and still chooses to rise. 

Please help me bring him home. 

Please help me prove that love, growth, and redemption are worth fighting for. 

If you’ve ever believed in second chances… 

If you’ve ever felt like you were running out of them… 

Please share. 

Please donate. 

Please fight with us. 

With my whole heart, 

Tanya