Learn more and view Crossing South at https://www.afsc.org/xs Gabriela Flora / AFSC
DENVER, CO (October 15, 2019) – A new guide is now available for people who have been deported or have voluntarily chosen to return to Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. The guide – called Crossing South – is available in English and Spanish online at https://www.afsc.org/xs
Crossing South was produced by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) – a Quaker organization that has worked with immigrants and refugees for over 100 years. The idea came from the Not1More Table, an immigrant-led community group supported by AFSC. Many #Not1More members are facing deportation themselves or have a family member in deportation proceedings.
“The idea for this resource guide came from myself and another member of the #Not1More table after one of his ICE check ins and after the many, many check ins I have attended for my husband,” said Christina Zaldivar. “We both had been afraid of the ‘unknown expectations’ of being tossed back south with no knowledge of what resources would be available to the already mentally, emotionally and financially broke victims of our broken immigration system. The other member has since been deported. I do not know if he knows our ‘vision’ has now become a reality to keep others in our situation safe. What I do know is that I am ever so grateful to everyone who participated on making this resource guide a reality.”
The guide contains country-specific information on preparing for your return, what to do if you have time versus if you are immediately detained, important safety information for when you land, and lists of nonprofit organizations providing assistance.
“Ultimately we hope that guides like this one are unnecessary – in Colorado and across the country we are working hard to change the policies and practices that lead to detention and deportation,” explains Gabriela Flora, a program director for AFSC and one of the Crossing South authors. “But until we change those policies, it is important that people facing deportation are equipped with the information they need to keep them and their family as safe as possible.”
The guide draws from AFSC’s decade-plus experience navigating the detention and deportation system in Colorado and other states; community-based programs in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador; and additional research conducted by staff and volunteers.
In addition to online content, there are also printable wallet-sized cards with key information and resources for each country.
AFSC is currently raising funds to help support printing and distributing the wallet cards.
Learn more and view Crossing South at https://www.afsc.org/xs
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The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization that promotes lasting peace with justice, as a practical expression of faith in action. Drawing on continuing spiritual insights and working with people of many backgrounds, we nurture the seeds of change and respect for human life that transform social systems.