“We’ve been in Mobile for two years and five months. It’s just my husband, son, daughter, and mother. We live in a very peaceful place and feel at ease. We have a lemon tree and make lemonade and lemon marinade for our meat.

I lived in Guatemala City my whole life. I was an only child and only lived in one house. Our family lived in houses around us. I worked for a man running for deputy, handled the logistics for him, and got aid for people. I gave everything I got to the community. I was very loved. My husband, Bernard, unloaded trucks of aid that came to Guatemala. 

Guatemala was a beautiful place, but it was dangerous. We never messed with anyone, but the gangs in our country – the maras – wanted our children. When kids become teens, the maras lure, recruit or kidnap them to be in gangs. They were targeting my son, Andree, and my nephews.  They want girls, too. 

One day, the gang was outside our houses, coming for our sons. My family said, ‘We will leave however God will help us.’ We couldn’t call the others to coordinate a plan. We couldn’t even call the police. We waited until night to leave and trusted that the other family members were leaving, too.

Bernard had a motorcycle, so he left first, trying to distract them. That didn’t work. We waited until it got dark and left out the back door with just the clothes we were wearing and my suitcase with our documents. My little girl, Guissel, was crying. She wanted to take our cat and dog. Andree grabbed the little dog, Luna.

There are ravines where people throw garbage, and where a river of black water passes through. We had to cross it. I was carrying Guissel and Luna. That terrible water was up to my neck, and I was sinking. Guissel was crying. Andree was calling, ‘Mami, please hurry. They can kill me.’ He grabbed Guissel and Luna, and said, ‘Mamita, let’s go.’ I was so scared and told him to go on. He said, ‘I’m not leaving you. We can do this.’ Thank God we made it through.

Bernard’s sister was on the other side and had gotten a taxi. We got in, but didn’t have a place to go. Didn’t know what was next. We met with my aunts and my cousins in a place far away. We were wet and disgusting because of the black water. Luna was trembling. Suddenly the gang started calling and sending us messages. They knew we left. We didn’t know what to do.

We arrived at a police station. They told us they couldn’t help us. So we went to the bus terminal and sat there, seeing what could be done. Others arrived. There were about 20 of us. Now what? We had to wait until dawn. Still in our dirty clothes.

We were in another district of Guatemala, and a family friend gave us a place to stay. We filed a police report, and they listened to the kids’ stories about what they had seen and been through. They wanted to send us somewhere safe so the kids wouldn’t have to go through that again. We started talking to lawyers with an organization that helps refugees. We didn’t know anything about them or what to believe. Everything was unreal.

My cousin’s husband didn’t come with us because he didn’t want to leave his home. So they stayed. A short time later, he was killed. My cousin was pregnant, and they had a young son. We were too scared to attend his burial. That was painful.

We applied to become refugees. We didn’t have work. We couldn’t go back to the house because the gang members were there. The organization gave us a little money that helped us rent a tiny little room for two months. We went through a series of interviews about what happened to us and why we wanted to leave the country. Were we involved with the gang? The last interview was with the immigration officers, and they didn’t seem friendly. What if we fail the test? We waited three months for the email to see if we were accepted. Finally, yes.

They took us to a hotel on the day we were leaving. Other refugees from different places were there. The gang problem is in many parts of Guatemala.

I felt afraid when we got off the plane here. Leaving everything behind to be in a country we don’t know and don’t speak the language. It was my husband, my two children, and my mom.

Thank God for Dwell Mobile helping us and making things easier. We’re doing well. Guissel is in school, and Andree graduated from high school. We all have jobs. God put us here because if we didn’t leave Guatemala, I don’t know if Andree would still be with us.

Andree wants to go to college and become an architect. He went to a good school that received money from North Americans to help students become good citizens and keep them out of the gangs. He studied architecture there and learned how to make blueprints. My dad is a mason and took Andree on construction jobs since he was little. Andree works in construction and still calls his grandfather in Guatemala when he needs to know something.

My ideal world would be to buy a house and have all of us living there. I would also like to go back to see my father.

The situation in Guatemala has not changed. The gangs are very strong, and the violence continues. Not even the police get involved. We were expecting other family members to come here, but the closure happened, and they’re trapped in the same situation.

We work hard here, and it hasn’t been easy.  I’m grateful because this country took us in. With the help of God and good people, everything can be achieved.

Jasmin

(A translator helped with this interview with Jasmin, and the names have been changed for this story. Dwell Mobile helps resettle refugee families in Mobile. The Dwell annual fundraiser, Sweet Home Mobile, is on Thursday, November 5, from 6–8 pm at Crown Hall in downtown Mobile.

Luna the dog is also safe and  living with a family member in Guatemala.)