From the “Crossing South” site
A new guide is now available for people who have been deported or have voluntarily chosen to return to Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Called “Crossing South,” the guide is available in English and Spanish, according to an October 15 media release from the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC).
The idea to publish the “Crossing South” guide came from the Not1More Table, an immigrant-led community group supported by AFSC.
“The idea for this resource guide came from myself and another member of the #Not1More table after one of his ICE check-ins and after the many, many check-ins I have attended for my husband,” Christina Zaldivar said in the AFSC release. “We both had been afraid of the ‘unknown expectations’ of being tossed back south with no knowledge of what resources would be available to the already mentally, emotionally and financially broke victims of our broken immigration system. The other member has since been deported. I do not know if he knows our ‘vision’ has now become a reality to keep others in our situation safe. What I do know is that I am ever so grateful to everyone who participated on making this resource guide a reality.”
AFSC said that the guide contains country-specific information on preparing for one’s return, what to do if one has time versus if one is immediately detained, important safety information for when one lands, and lists of nonprofit organizations providing assistance.
“Ultimately we hope that guides like this one are unnecessary. In Colorado and across the country we are working hard to change the policies and practices that lead to detention and deportation,” Gabriela Flora, an AFSC program director and one of the “Crossing South” authors, said in the release. “But until we change those policies, it is important that people facing deportation are equipped with the information they need to keep them and their family as safe as possible.”
Learn more and view Crossing South here.
