Edy

Edy is a 9-year-old Mayan child whose native tongue is K’iche’. He is from Ixcan Playa Grande, Quiche, Guatemala; one of the areas most affected during the civil war. Edy and his father Amon embarked on the dangerous trip to the United States and crossed The Rio Bravo on June 13 to be immediately apprehended by ICE officers. When Edy and his dad were in custody, officials tried at least three times to take Edy away. However, they were unable to separate Edy from his dad. They moved them to a different detention center and Edy was told that his dad had to go to sign some documents and that was the last time they saw each other.

Amon asked repeatedly for his son’s whereabouts but he was ignored. He was subsequently deported to Guatemala without knowing where his son was. Edy knew his mother’s telephone number and he was able to communicate with his mother before his dad Amon was deported. It was Edy who informed his mom that he had been separated from his dad and that he did not know where his dad was.

Edy and his dad Amon’s life has been shaped by the long and cruel Guatemalan civil war that lasted over 30 years. When Amon was 2-years-old, his family fled to Mexico because many family members had been killed. His grandparents died shortly after in Mexico and when he returned to Guatemala 10 years later with his parents and siblings, their grandparents’ land had been occupied by other people. Therefore, the entire family was left with no land.

Edy, his parents, and six siblings are allowed to live in a house and in lieu of rent, the family takes care of the plot of land for the owner. Amon’s dream was to come to the United States, work for a few years and save enough money to buy a plot of land and build a modest house. He took a $5,300 loan to make the trip to the United States and after his deportation, the situation for this family is worse than ever. All they have left now is their faith. Edy’s grandfather is an evangelical pastor and the family attends church. Edy does well in school and he loves music. He was learning to play the keyboard with an uncle and during his time at the shelter, his dad received a short video that shows Edy playing the keyboard.

We are in the process of freeing Edy from government custody so that he can be with his family again and they can work on building their future together. We seek expenses to cover the cost of his repatriation.

GOAL
We are asking for your help and generosity to raise $5,500 to aid in covering the cost of our release of Edy, a 9 year old Guatemalan boy to his family and home in Guatemala.