Seeking Help Within Borders, Part 3

TALENT, Ore — We continue the story of a Guatemalan family now living in Talent, Oregon as they wait and seek asylum,

Lillian Taracena came to America in May, illegally crossing the Rio Grand and was picked up by border patrol. She was arrested during the Trump Administration’s Zero Tolerance Policy and put in detention.

Taracena was separated from her children for 51 days and fell into the worst depression. The church group who visited the detention center in Taylor, Texas connected Taracena with the coalition Together & Free, which helped her with paperwork so she could be reunited with her children.

On July 25th, Mayda and Jose were taken to Port Isabel, Texas to be with their mother once again.

“When they saw me they ran!” said Taracena. “They got up and ran told me to never leave them again and I told them that I wouldn’t. I promised them that I would be with them always.”

Taracena and her children have an unknown road ahead of them. For now they stay in Talent, Oregon with her cousin. The local non-profit organization-, Unete Center For Farm Worker Advocacy Group, has been helping them for the long road ahead.

She is among the tens of thousands of Salvadorans, Guatemalans and Hondurans seeking asylum.

“For me it’s hard to imagine being in a situation that is so dire that you would be willing to leave everything you know,” said Kathy Keese, Program Coordinator with Unete Center For Farm Worker Advocacy Group. “Your language, your family, your culture. Everything to come somewhere really is a not a very hospitable environment right now.”

According to the CIA’s World Factbook, Honduras is the second highest poorest country in Central America, filled with gang violence. El Salvador has one of the world’s highest homicide rates. Guatemala faces the same problems along with one of the highest malnutrition rates.

These problems are what is causing people to flee. News 10 spoke with Joanna Franchini, Executive Director for Together & Free. A coalition based in New York which began as a collective effort to help families that were being separated. They helped reunite Taracena with her children. So far, they’ve helped reunite about 200 families across the country.

“These are hard working people. They are just like you and me,” said Franchini. “They are families, they have kids, they have grandparents. They want a better life for their children and for themselves, and in most cases, what that means is really simple."

“It’s a better life that just means a life free from violence, threats, extortion, and fear.”

Together & Free has been working with Unete Center For Farm Worker Advocacy Group to get the Taracenas the help they need.

“Connected to good legitimate lawyers who aren’t going to exploit them and aren’t going to charge them really high fees,” said Franchini. "And making sure they understand what their rights are.”

“Our biggest challenge here, I think, is just access to low-cost or free legal services,” said Keesee.

Thankfully, Together & Free is present in 42 cities across 37 states in the U.S. making it possible for families like Taracenas to fight for asylum.

“We are really committed to the idea that families who have asylum claims have a legal right to pursue asylum in the U.S., that is international law, it's U.S law, said Franchini.

“Around here, I sometimes fell like people think they are just coming up for this free thing,” sad Keesee. "I don’t think they really realize how deep the poverty and violence and how embedded it is as part of their culture down there.”

“We are a country that has a wealth of resources and abundance of material wealth, and we also have a moral responsibility to treat these people fairly,” said Franchini.