In 2016, Andrés García fled anti-LGBQT+ violence in his native El Salvador. Until a few years ago, he lived in Virginia without papers. Afterwards, he was reported by police for a minor violation and transported to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He spent a year in ICE detention. In July 2023, Garcia won his asylum case. Now he fears he could face deportation and risk returning to his home country as a result of the U.S. presidential election.
i ran away I escaped from the country. I’m gay and it’s a bit difficult to be myself in my country. You could be imprisoned. You can die. We don’t have a law that can say, “I will be whatever I want and the law will protect me.” You don’t have as much freedom here.
So I came here eight years ago to find safety and a better life for myself and my family. I have been living in Virginia since I came to the United States and have been living with my sister for the past few years. I went to school to learn English. I am the type of person who always contributes and tries to get better every day.
If I were deported back to my country, that would be the end for me. Just thinking about it makes me scared to the core.
Everything was fine. But two or three years ago I was detained by ICE. I was detained for over a year and was released in 2023. It just made me feel different because I saw the injustice in the system. In Virginia, immigrants have no right to legal representation in court. There is no one to tell you what you can apply for or what your rights are. I don’t know the law, I don’t know the language, I don’t know anything.
I thought I was going back to my home country. I thought I was being deported. But one day I had this thought. You know what? I’m just going to fight. And I saw this poster on my phone. It was about the CAIR Coalition (now Amica Center for Immigrant Rights). I called them hoping they would take my case. A few weeks later they told me they had good news and that they had accepted my case. They helped me through the whole process. Not only did they provide me with legal representation, but they also helped me communicate with my family back home. They almost saved my life.
I used to be scared. I was afraid to speak out because I lacked documentation. When we won our asylum case, I thought, “I have to give something back to the community.”
I have attended a meeting. (My boyfriend and I) went knocking on doors last weekend. Now I go back to school on November 16th. I’ve always been interested in interior design and that’s what I want to do.
I’m in a safer place now, but I’m still stuck in the immigration system. I will never get out of the system until I become a citizen. What if Trump’s policy of deporting everyone with a record becomes a reality? If I were deported, our country would be in a state of emergency and you would be denied any citizenship rights. The military is on the streets and can detain you and throw you in jail for no reason. If you have a tattoo, you will be imprisoned for a year for investigation. Prisons are full of gang members and have zero tolerance for people from the LGBTQ+ community. If I were deported back to my country, that would be the end for me. Just thinking about it makes me scared to the core.
I’m anxious because I’m not the only one. I have friends, I have family, I have neighbors who are not rightfully here. I have so many undocumented gay friends. There is no record and you can be deported at any time. It affects everyone.
I heard that President Trump also intends to pass this law so that companies can actually hire people with only (legal) documents. 80% of my friends are hard working, loving people and have no record. Everyone in our community is scared.
It’s frustrating that most people, including me, can’t vote. The people who will actually suffer can’t vote, so we’re in everyone else’s hands.
I hope Trump’s victory doesn’t happen. But we must be ready for anything. Right? I don’t even want to talk about it because it breaks my heart to know that that’s a possibility. I don’t think America can handle another four years of the Trump era.
