Veronica's Story

Veronica is a young mother of two toddlers in Mason County. Her family relies on earnings from work in the woods harvesting brush for the florist industry. It takes her husband and brother and other household members together to make the rent and put food on the table. The family came from Todos Santos, Cuchumatan, Guatemala in 2000, leaving their poverty struck village to look for work. Though the Peace Accords were signed there in 1996 at the end of the civil war, peace in the form of employment has not come to Guatemala. Desperate Guatemaltecos risk their lives to cross borders and deserts to find ways to survive.

Last fall, Veronica's family endured immigration raids in the forest, which terrorized the children and put seven adult housemates in detention in Tacoma. This is the first step towards deportation. When the raid happened, Veronica and her children approached their family members to hug them; immigration officials ripped them apart and arrested the men. Her children continue to fear officials in uniform, crying and screaming that they will hurt them. For almost five months, the family has struggled to pay rent and keep the children fed, with only two adults remaining. They may be forced to move, yet rentals are hard to come by because many immigrants face discrimination and barriers from being undocumented. Basic survival assistance is critical to keep the family from going under while they wait out the legal proceedings of their incarcerated family members.