Cathy is a middle-aged mother who lives in Charlottesville’s largely Latino neighborhood— Southwood. She asked that we not use her last name, because she’s concerned about the privacy of families she’s now helping – women whose husbands were picked up by ICE. Cathy speaks Spanish and was upset when she heard what had happened in Greene County.
“Whether we agree that these people should or shouldn’t be here, they are our neighbors," she explains. "Some have sometimes been here for decades, and they’re really struggling.”
She organized with other mothers to provide food, diapers and medicine while helping to locate the missing men and to assist their wives.
“He managed all the bills, so how do they even get paid, and how much are they, and does she have access to the bank account? And whose name is on the title for that car by the way so that we can get it out of impoundment?”
Some of the men agreed to deportation, and their families were willing to follow, but there was another problem.
“Many of the kids were born here, and many of them don’t have passports for the kids," Cathy says. "That’s really expensive. Often, she doesn’t have a passport, so it’s super messy.”
Their group is called Family Bridge Support and it now offers a hotline where Spanish-speaking women with children can call for help. The volunteers say there’s not much they can do about immigration policy right now, but they want to offer dignity, care and solidarity to mothers in need.
For more information go to Family Bridge Support
