Support the Youngest Child Separated at the Border
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The Fourth Universalist Society is proud to help raise funds for the family of Vasile, Florentina, and baby Constantin.
To learn more, follow their story told by the New York Times, in collaboration with Hulu and FX. A documentary will be released on June 16th, 2019 on those platforms, followed by an in-depth print story by Caitlin Dickerson.
The story of Vasile, Florentina, and baby Constantin is both heartbreaking and one of great courage, resilience, and love. It is also the story of the youngest known child separated from their family by the Trump administration.
The family's story begins in Romania, the home country of Vasile, Florentina, and Constantin. Following a C-Section allowing Constantin to be born, Florentina was forcefully sterilized, without her knowledge or consent. As a family of Romani heritage, it was one of many instances of discrimination and persecution they had experienced.
Following this trauma, the family decided to leave Romania in the hope of attaining asylum in the United States. They traveled to Mexico City, and on the way, Vasile and Constantin were separated from Florentina as they tried to obtain fever medicine for Constantin. The bus left without them and they had no way to reach one another.
Hoping to reconnect with his wife in the United States, Vasile proceeded to the border with baby Constantin. They arrived at a legal port of entry and requested asylum. Immediately they were detained and after many hours of waiting, officers arrived and forcibly removed Constantin from Vasile's arms. Vasile was handcuffed and thrown onto the floor. Through a phone interpreter, he was told that they were taking his baby away.
Vasile was sent to a detention complex in Pearsall Texas. For weeks, he did not know where his son was and suffered severe emotional distress and grief at being separated. He couldn't eat, became dizzy and could barely stand, and had to be moved to a separate medical facility to be treated. Eventually, he learned that his baby had been put into the foster care system, thanks to the efforts of Bethany Christian Services and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.
After several months, immigration officers told Vasile that if he ended his effort to gain asylum, he would be re-united with his baby in Romania. Vasile agreed. He was deported without Constantin. At the airport, he first expected the baby to be waiting for him in the terminal. Then, officers assured him that the baby would be brought to him once he was on the plane. And when the plane took off, Vasile hoped that the baby would be waiting for him in Romania.
It would be more than five months before Constantin would be returned to Romania. It was only through the a dedicated team of immigration lawyers, who persisted against the odds, and the resiliency of Vasile and Florentina.
Your gift today goes directly to support Vasile, Florentina, and Constantin, as they seek to rebuild their lives following the trauma and abuse they experienced. As a country whose highest ideals call us to protect human dignity, honor the bonds of family, and defend the persecuted, we have a moral responsibility to support a family that has been harmed by our nation's actions. We are called to ensure that they receive the resources, support, and love they need and deserve.
We hope you will consider a generous gift, it will be received with profound gratitude and thanks.
Should you have any questions about the family's legal case, we invite you to reach out to Elora Mukherjee, the Director of the Immigrants' Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School ([email redacted]umbia.edu). Should you have any questions about this fundraiser, we invite you to reach out to Rev. Schuyler Vogel, the Senior Minister at the Fourth Universalist Society ([email redacted]).
To learn more, follow their story told by the New York Times, in collaboration with Hulu and FX. A documentary will be released on June 16th, 2019 on those platforms, followed by an in-depth print story by Caitlin Dickerson.
The story of Vasile, Florentina, and baby Constantin is both heartbreaking and one of great courage, resilience, and love. It is also the story of the youngest known child separated from their family by the Trump administration.
The family's story begins in Romania, the home country of Vasile, Florentina, and Constantin. Following a C-Section allowing Constantin to be born, Florentina was forcefully sterilized, without her knowledge or consent. As a family of Romani heritage, it was one of many instances of discrimination and persecution they had experienced.
Following this trauma, the family decided to leave Romania in the hope of attaining asylum in the United States. They traveled to Mexico City, and on the way, Vasile and Constantin were separated from Florentina as they tried to obtain fever medicine for Constantin. The bus left without them and they had no way to reach one another.
Hoping to reconnect with his wife in the United States, Vasile proceeded to the border with baby Constantin. They arrived at a legal port of entry and requested asylum. Immediately they were detained and after many hours of waiting, officers arrived and forcibly removed Constantin from Vasile's arms. Vasile was handcuffed and thrown onto the floor. Through a phone interpreter, he was told that they were taking his baby away.
Vasile was sent to a detention complex in Pearsall Texas. For weeks, he did not know where his son was and suffered severe emotional distress and grief at being separated. He couldn't eat, became dizzy and could barely stand, and had to be moved to a separate medical facility to be treated. Eventually, he learned that his baby had been put into the foster care system, thanks to the efforts of Bethany Christian Services and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.
After several months, immigration officers told Vasile that if he ended his effort to gain asylum, he would be re-united with his baby in Romania. Vasile agreed. He was deported without Constantin. At the airport, he first expected the baby to be waiting for him in the terminal. Then, officers assured him that the baby would be brought to him once he was on the plane. And when the plane took off, Vasile hoped that the baby would be waiting for him in Romania.
It would be more than five months before Constantin would be returned to Romania. It was only through the a dedicated team of immigration lawyers, who persisted against the odds, and the resiliency of Vasile and Florentina.
Your gift today goes directly to support Vasile, Florentina, and Constantin, as they seek to rebuild their lives following the trauma and abuse they experienced. As a country whose highest ideals call us to protect human dignity, honor the bonds of family, and defend the persecuted, we have a moral responsibility to support a family that has been harmed by our nation's actions. We are called to ensure that they receive the resources, support, and love they need and deserve.
We hope you will consider a generous gift, it will be received with profound gratitude and thanks.
Should you have any questions about the family's legal case, we invite you to reach out to Elora Mukherjee, the Director of the Immigrants' Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School ([email redacted]umbia.edu). Should you have any questions about this fundraiser, we invite you to reach out to Rev. Schuyler Vogel, the Senior Minister at the Fourth Universalist Society ([email redacted]).
Organizer
Sheila Powers
Organizer
New York, NY