Honduran asylum seeker welcomed in Boise after months of hardship
Romel had spent his whole life in Honduras. Although it’s what he knew, the desire for a safer life motivated him and his partner to make the journey by foot to the United States.
After months of traveling and living in detainment, Romel arrived Saturday afternoon at the Boise Airport — tired, and with a bit of a cold, but excited to meet about two dozen members of Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship who helped release the 36-year-old.
“It is difficult to live in a country that is beautiful and everything, but you can’t with the gang members. You want to work, but you can’t because they steal everything you have. You can’t have a house because they come demanding money,” said Romel, who declined to reveal his last name due to safety concerns. “You can’t do anything and the government only knows how to say that everything is OK and safe, but that is a lie.”
At 35, he journeyed through Mexico with his partner. There, he said, they were kidnapped by gang members and his partner — and 27 others — were murdered.
After two months traveling through Mexico, Romel reached Texas, where he was detained and filed for asylum. He was then taken to Mississippi for a few weeks, before finally being transported to Louisiana and detained for five months, during which he celebrated his 36th birthday.
Romel said asylum seekers face a lack of access to food, water, clothes and warmth throughout their journey, but also in the Bossier Medium Security Facility, where he said he suffered a few injuries and a cold.
“It was a horrible, horrible prison,” Romel said. “We only had a piece of raw baloney, mayonnaise, two pieces of bread and a bit of mac and cheese. That’s it every day. Except for Sundays, when we would get spaghetti. Luckily I am out now, and a lot happier.”
His release is due in part to an immigration lawyer who would visit the facility. By telling her his story, Romel was put in contact with the Unitarian Universalist community in Boise.
At the start of November, the Rev. Sara LaWall received an email from Dottie Mathews, an immigrant justice activist and former minister who was working to coordinate for the overwhelming response from Unitarian Universalist congregations to host asylum seekers.
“(Mathews) saw that congregations have a unique opportunity to support asylees because it is an expensive endeavor for individuals because they require a legal sponsor and someone who is able to help coordinate their court dates until they are granted full asylum,” LaWall said.
LaWall’s congregation, made up of over 300 people, had been working this year to create a plan of financial and practical support should they be selected to host an asylum seeker. By the time Mathews’ email arrived, they were ready to help.
The congregation started a GoFundMe campaign for the project and received an $8,000 grant from the Unitarian Universalists funding panel. In all, they have raised over $20,000 to support Romel.
“We all felt that he needed medical care and he needed people in his life,” LaWall said. “With the help of an attorney, we requested a bond hearing.”
LaWall flew to Louisiana to be with Romel during the hearing, hoping that it would result in a release.
“The way they do bond hearings here is that the detainees are in a small room over video with immigration judges in Miami,” LaWall said. “We had a member of our team fly out to Miami to be in the courtroom there and connected with Unitarian Universalists from the Miami congregation who accompanied her to the courtroom.”
The group was able to pay the $12,000 bond and have Romel released in one day, which LaWall describes as a minor miracle.
Romel will be hosted by a family in Boise and receive legal sponsorship. However, LaWall said the first priority is medical care to address injuries suffered in the journey and in detention.
“Usually for asylees, that is a family member that they might have here in the states. So this is a unique situation in that we are not family but we are offering the same kind of support,” LaWall said.
Romel said his next step includes applying for residency and citizenship and his goal is to help those along the border.
“I want to keep fighting to also help those who need it at the border. There are a lot of people, not just from my country, and they need help,” Romel said. “They don’t just need economic help. They need water, food, clothes. I would like to help.”
This story was originally published December 21, 2019 at 5:55 PM.
