Executive Director
AYUDA
This Fourth of July, We Celebrate Our Immigrant Neighbors
“Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.”– Franklin D. Roosevelt
As we gather together to celebrate America’s Independence Day with family and friends, let us take a moment to reflect on the important contributions that immigrants and their children have made to the values we celebrate on the Fourth of July: Perseverance. Love of family. Generosity. Faith. Gratitude. Strength.
More than one million of our neighbors in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC have moved here from abroad with dreams of a better future and to share in these common values, like Fernanda.
Fernanda successfully passed her citizenship exam in May and is anxiously awaiting her oath ceremony to become a U.S. citizen.
Fernanda, a long-time client of Ayuda, arrived to the United States at age two from Peru. Ayuda assisted her and her family in securing legal status through the Violence Against Women Act, represented her in her green card interview, and now represents her in her citizenship/naturalization process.
Fernanda is a student at Virginia Tech, pursuing a double-major in criminology and sociology. She is an active member of her community, and is interning this summer with Virginia Child Protective Services, assisting in protecting local children from abuse and neglect.
After taking her citizenship oath and graduating from Virginia Tech, Fernanda hopes to pursue a position in the federal government, preferably with the FBI, or with USCIS.
Thank you, Fernanda, for sharing your story.
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Thanks, Paula, for all that you and AYUDA do to make the REAL America Great!
Happy July 4 to all!🎇🎇🇺🇸🇺🇸
DUE PROCESS FOREVER, MALICIOUS INCOMPETENCE NEVER!
PWS
07-04-19
Paul,
I don’t know if it’s maliciousness or incompetence (I suspect a deadly combination of the two), but the photos I have been seeing this week are reminiscent of asylum stories I used to hear from all over the world where governments had so little respect for human rights and/or compassion toward human beings, that they would keep them in hot containers, freezing cages, lightless dungeons or other “accommodations” without blankets, beds or space to lay down. That this is happening in the United States of America saddens and angers me beyond belief. And when so many millions of good, compassionate, caring Americans so strenuously object to such treatment of other human beings, and yet their objections have zero impact, I am frightened for our democracy. We should take to the streets, to the hallways of Congress, to the border and to the media and stay there until the border patrol stations are emptied of men, women and children seeking refuge. This is the most outrageous thing I have seen on American soil! I am ashamed for our country.
Carol
I agree Carol, my friend. Very thankful that folks like Paula & AYUDA are there to remind us what humanity is all about during a dark time when our country actively has joined the ranks of the world’s most brazen intentional violators of human rights.
It’s particularly distressing to see money and manpower being spent on wasteful and inept enforcement instead of devoting resources to making the system work in the humane and protective manner it was intended. The idea of running an intentionally cruel and counterproductive internal enforcement operation targeting families during this self-created detention and humanitarian disaster is beyond disgusting.
PWS
07-07-19