They ask for the help of the community so as not to end up living on the street as homeless
Months after reunifying, after the traumatic experience of separation, Manolo and his son Tayler face a tragedy again, when the garage that turned into a makeshift house they shared with a sister and daughter in the city of Palmdale, caught fire. North Los Angeles County.
“We are alive by a miracle. If the fire had been at dawn when we were all sleeping, we would no longer count it ”, says 25-year-old Manolo, who on February 14 managed to reunite with his five-year-old son Tayler, after being separated by immigration authorities.
The incident occurred on Friday, July 10, around 8:30 at night, due to a short circuit that in a matter of minutes ended his dwelling.
“My sister was cooking when the flames started. Fire! He screamed. We try to put it out with the clothes. My bed was the first thing to catch on. The short circuit occurred aside. When we were drowning in the smoke, and saw that there was nothing we could do to put out the fire and prevent it from ending with our things, we left, “he recalls.
Manolo was taken to the hospital with the sole of his foot and a part of his stomach burned. “He was barefoot when the fire started. I jumped out of the place. ”
He and his son also burned part of the hair; and his nine-year-old niece was in poor health from inhaling the smoke.
Total losses
In a matter of minutes, Manolo, his son Tayler, and his sister Vilma and his niece Thaily lost their home and ended up on the street. His belongings were reduced to ashes.
They had come to the United States in 2019 by escaping of the persecution in his native Guatemala. They applied for political asylum on May 27 of that year at the Texas state border.
Because they had an acquaintance in Los Angeles, they came to this city when they were released by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), less than a week after entering the country.
Everything was going well, until this year, on February 4, ICE detained Vilma during a routine interview. Immigration officers telephoned Manolo to pick up his son Tayler, but failed to arrive, and the boy was held at a children’s shelter in the city of Montebello in Los Angeles County.
Gloria Saucedo, leader of Central Mexico and Mayra Todd of the organization Mujeres de Hoy contacted Peter Schey, president of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, who took charge of the case and achieved the reunification of father and son.
Frustration
After the fire, Manolo says he is frustrated because in the short time they have been in the US they have had very strong experiences that have almost cost them their lives.
“With the help of firefighters and friends, we have managed to pay for a hotel room so as not to sleep on the street. I work a few hours a week installing light signs. It’s all the work they give me for now. From there he goes out to buy prepared food because we cannot cook at the hotel, ”he says.
The young asylum seeker despairs because he does not know what will happen to them without a secure roof. “Already We are looking for housing to rent, but everything is very expensive. I don’t know where we are going to grab ”.
In the incident, Manolo and his son lost everything, including their migration documents.
In order to prevent them from becoming homeless, attorney Schey opened an account on the GoFundme site to raise funds to help them find a home and pay their basic expenses, while recovering from the disaster.
Here it is in GoFundMe campaign link pTo help Manolo and his son.
“Father and son are applying for political asylum, and we are hoping to have a hearing in September.”Says Schey, a pro bono advocate who achieved the reunification of the two last February, ten days after the separation.
