Estela

Together Rising exists to turn our collective heartbreak into effective action. So–for the forcible tearing apart of thousands of families at the border with no plan to reunify them; for the deportation of parents without the children who were taken from them; for the indefinite detention of asylum seeking and migrant children in tent cities–Here is your action through Together Rising: You’ve given $4,181,367.69 to reunify these families – with Together Rising directing each set of funding to the most vital need as the crisis shifts.3 weeks ago, you gave $250,000 to the incredible team at Justice In Motion —which locates parents deported without their children, advocates for their reunification wishes, and handles the legalities & logistics of bringing families back together. Last weekend, we learned that several children who were forcibly separated at the border made it home safely to their parents’ arms because of your giving. One of these children is 9-year-old Estela.* Estela and her father, Juan Manuel, made the brutal journey from Guatemala to the U.S. before they were torn apart at the border. Juan Manuel was deported without his daughter, who was left alone in the U.S. The family had no way to know if they would ever see her again. With your funds, Justice In Motion was able to find Juan Manuel in his remote village, work with him and Estela’s mother every step of the way to prove they are Estela’s parents, and to get her home. Her parents could not afford the 8-hour bus ride from their village to reunite with Estela, so your Together Rising funds paid for the bus tickets. The family is now together after months of trauma. Justice In Motion is committed to using your funds to reach each of the more than 400 parents who were deported without their children, and work to reunify them. For those parents who have had to make the heartbreaking decision to leave their children in the U.S. because it is too dangerous for them to return home, they will help gather evidence to support the children’s asylum cases – helping them stay in safety. Thank you for bringing Estela’s family-and others-back together. Thank you for trusting Together Rising.