Couple struggling with housing in LA while awaiting asylum

From a hotel room in Alhambra, a city eight miles east of Los Angeles, Daniel Hernández and his partner -Claudia García- say that their greatest desire is to find a stable home for their son can live and grow calmly.

With only 10 months old, Dominik, has had to live in various places as his parents fled from his native El Salvador in search of better opportunities.

The journey has not been easy for the couple, who for two years tried to reach the United States. Two months ago they succeeded, but the dream is turning into a nightmare as they were left without a place to live.

The family arrived in early August 2021 at the home of an acquaintance. At first, everything seemed fine but within a few weeks, the couple say that the owner of the place began to change his attitude.

This Monday, while the news recommended people to protect themselves from the strong winds that hit the area, Hernández and García were being evicted.

It was around 7: 00 pm, when the couple was seen on a park bench next to their few belongings and with Dominik in her arms.

” He threw the food we consumed in our face and threw us to the police so that we would leave, ”said Hernández, from 20 years.

The young man assured that as soon as he arrived he began to work installing glass with the acquaintance. The man paid him $ 200 a week, but when they were thrown out of the house he also lost his job.

Finding himself in trouble, Garcia called a pro-immigrant group that had helped them earlier when they were at the border.

Soon after, Mónica Dolores, a member of Pueblo Sin Fronteras —a collective dedicated to helping stranded families came to his aid. between the US and Mexico.

“We helped them get support and took them to this hotel,” he said. Dolores yesterday in an interview with Real America News while visiting them at the hotel where they are staying.

However, the place is temporary since the stay per night costs $ 120 and the volunteer group will not be able to afford it for long.

Dolores said that it has been difficult to get a permanent home for the little family since the shelters are currently full and generally the rental rooms do not accept children. “We continue looking for resources and we hope that someone wants to help them,” she said.

The volunteer indicated that García’s story and Hernández is very unfortunate, especially now, when the couple is waiting for a work permit.

“While so much they have to work in subhuman conditions because they do not have the necessary documents ”, explained Dolores.

Daniel Hernández said he left El Salvador to flee from gangs in October of 2019 and shortly after his girlfriend caught up with him in Tapachula, Chiapas in southern Mexico.

They were there for a year waiting to receive the Mexican residence and once they obtained it, they continued their journey to the north of Mexico.

They arrived in Tijuana, Baja California and settled in a migrant center with hundreds of families near the El Chaparral border port.

In December 2020 the little Dominik and Garcia was received in a shelter for mothers with children to stay a little safer with their newborn.

“Most of the time we were paying to be there but after ese [Hernández] was left without a job and we had to return to Chaparral ”, said García, from 21 years. “It is very sad to walk like this because the baby suffers more from the cold and hunger.”

Once in the Chaparral, the child – who was already about 6 months old – became seriously ill after his mother gave him a soup that they had donated.

“He was sick for a week and my sister helped me with the expenses because her partner sent her money,” said García.

The baby recovered and the family were allowed to enter the United States shortly thereafter, but under separate asylum claims since they are not legally married.

Now they are worried because the address that appears in the documents they filled out is that of the acquaintance who threw them out of their home. They say that they are distressed not having a fixed address to receive their correspondence, especially if the appointment arrives to attend court and fight their immigration case.

“We can’t go see [al conocido] because he already threatened us,” said Garcia.

Immigration attorney Alma Rosa Nieto said that in cases like this it is vital that homeless immigrants show where they are at all times since the government gave them the confidence to set them free.

He added that the reason the court needs an address of the immigrant is because there is going to be a hearing in the future and they want to follow up on the person .

When they have an address, although is temporary, they must send to say that they no longer send any form to the previous address.

Immigrants must fill out the AR form – 11 ‘Change of Address form’ and keep a copy, indicated the lawyer.

“If you have a police report that they were run, it is recommended that they show them,” added Nieto.

In case immigration makes the mistake of sending the summons to the house of the acquaintance and he does not notify them, the court will want to deport them. But they will already have proof that they changed the documents with the new address.

lawyers the opportunity to make a motion to reopen the case, “said Nieto.

The young family assures that they do not wants to take advantage of the American government. They are both looking for an opportunity to improve their life starting with a home.

“We want to get a room, fight our case. We don’t want to depend on the state, we want to work, but we do need help, ”said García.