Karla and her Kids

Many of you have heard about how I met Karla and her kids. Please read ....there's a touching 3 minute video at the end.

In 2018, a student traveler on our Crossing Borders program made a short film in Tijuana, Wedding at the Wall . The bride, Karla, impressed me with her courageous mother's heart: after fleeing unspeakable violence in Honduras (I'll spare you, but trust me, it was bad), she and Hernandez were declaring their love publicly, and seeking refuge in the U.S.

As you can see from the short video, Karla's number one focus-- at her wedding! --- is to make a better life for her children

After the wedding, Karla's life became a refugee's nightmare. She was separated from her husband, taken into US custody for months, transferred between detention centers without legal representation or communication, treated like a criminal, abused regarding women's health, and then deported back to Honduras.

Upon returning to her village in Honduras, (where family members were sheltering the kids) Karla discovered that during her months-long ordeal, gang members had done terrible things* (*protecting their privacy not to disclose details) harming her little boy (age 6) and her daughter (age 12). Determined to rescue them, Karla again fled—alone with two children— on what is effectively a Central American Underground Railroad -- traveling for weeks by bus and train, from safe house to church to shelter-- from Honduras, across Guatemala, through Mexico and back to Tijuana. She and the kids were finally reunited in Tijuana with her husband in summer of 2020. The family of four managed in a one-bedroom apartment during the early pandemic, tolerating local anti-refugee hostility and working odd jobs, masking the kids for school.

In May of 2021, miraculously, the Biden administration granted some reprieve. Karla and the kids (but not her husband) were granted temporary asylum and flown to Portland, Oregon. [Shout out to Jewish Family Services for their stellar work supporting refugees]. It is here where Karla and the kids are today, starting a new life! Karla has a job as a maid cleaning rooms for a major hotel chain. The kids are super excited to learn English, now attending bilingual school. Life is finally looking up!

Why am I raising money for Karla and her Kids?  Legal asylum costs ridiculous sums. Lawyers and psychologists (for credible fear claims) and filing fees and self-sufficiency requirements are staggering thresholds to overcome. Karla still needs to prove her case before a judge in order to be granted permanent asylum and a green card. It's a long road.

There’s so much wrong with the world right now. It’s hard to know where our efforts will have maximum value. I’m telling you that this family, their strength, grace and humility, their positive outlook and their unshakeable belief in the American Dream…. is the real deal. Donating to their "solid-footing in the U.S." cause is worth it.

PS (because I'm using The Friendship Fund as the non-profit donation hub, you can receive a tax deduction for your donation!)

Thank you!