A Story of Welcome and Belonging – An Update

I wanted to provide an update about the Haitian family that is being helped by members of a west Arkansas UMC — and now by us at FUMC-LR. The last I heard we had raised about $1000 to assist them — thank you so very much to everyone who has donated!

At my last writing, the husband had been detained and we were planning to join a meeting with his wife and a potential immigration attorney in Memphis. That we did, and while we all liked the lawyer, the fee was $26,000, an amount which eclipsed both their savings and all of what both churches were able to contribute. (I will remark here that it is amazing what this couple saved in a year on their salaries — all of us should be that frugal — but it couldn’t cover the attorney’s fee and leave any money to help them settle elsewhere.)

Kent then decided he would represent them pro bono. As he has told our west Arkansas friends, federal immigration law and federal criminal law, which he practiced, are both incredibly complicated, so, in that way, not so different. But, unfortunately, the similarities end there.

Kent has hit the ground learning what forms he needs to file with the court and has started mapping out a strategy to get this dear family  to safe living conditions. Yesterday he drove to the detention center in Louisiana for his first face-to-face meeting with the husband. Our hope is to get the husband out on bond and then to pursue their asylum hearings as a family. Honestly, we have no idea if this is a long-shot or not at this point.

A little editorial privilege here, but what we’ve learned about both of these individuals is that our country would benefit from having both as citizens-to-be and then citizens. They are kind, decent, hard-working parents who have embraced their new community, including their church. There is no criminal record for either, and they have pursued every step, paid every fee, and complied with every check-in that was required to remain here legally — all this in a very convoluted process dealing with different government agencies that don’t seem to communicate well with each other.

Even so, and literally because of the arbitrariness of our country’s policies right now, they are likely not able to remain in the U.S. legally. Therefore, we are searching for the most friendly place where they can self-deport, if the court will allow that. Haiti, in case you haven’t heard, is an incredibly dangerous country ruled by gangs instead of by a functioning government, so it would be something akin to a death sentence to have them go back there.

The money you have contributed will help pay for legal representation in any other country as well as travel and resettlement expenses. Again, thank you, because this help is very needed.

Every time Kent or I have talked with the husband or the wife, we have been humbled by their gratitude, their mild manners, and their seeming calm amidst a horrible storm. They are lovely people, and, God help us, we are working toward not a great, but we hope at least an okay outcome for them.

But, here’s something that hurts. The husband was able to call his wife last night and he was terrified because other Haitian detainees were being taken from the detention center to be deported even though they had not signed papers agreeing to self-deport (apparently they get asked to sign these papers regularly). This was right after Kent met with him, so we’re hoping the fact that the husband has representation protects him from random deportation such as this. 

But what about all these other Haitian refugees who also may have followed every legal step to live and work and pursue citizenship in the U.S. but who don’t have anyone one to represent them? Where is the justice for them?

It’s heart-breaking.

Kent and Julie Holt