06/11/2026
Rapid Response Update-Bring Christian Home!
Christian and Claudia’s situation has changed in a heartbreaking way.
After Christian was detained by ICE, he was transferred within days to a detention facility in New Mexico, far from his family and support network. While in custody, Christian signed papers agreeing to his deportation under distress and without the support he needed to fully protect his rights. He has now been deported to El Salvador.
Claudia has made the painful decision to leave her home in Pittsfield and reunite their family in El Salvador. This means that Christian, Claudia, and their young daughter Elizabeth must now start over again, just one year after the apartment fire that destroyed nearly everything they owned.
The goal of this fundraiser is now family reunification and helping this young family reconstruct their lives safely.
All funds will help support the family rebuild their lives in a safe place in El Salvador covering costs of securing a new home in El Salvador - rent, basic furnishings, and household necessities. Funds will also help with short-term rent and transition expenses here in Pittsfield, legal fees related to Claudia’s immigration case and safe departure, airfare, travel documents, and travel expenses for Claudia and Elizabeth.
This family has already endured displacement, detention, separation, and the loss of their belongings. Your support will help them reunite and begin again with dignity, stability, and hope.
Marilyn, a member of the immigrant advocacy team, has stayed in close touch with Claudia, helping her and her baby navigate some of these treacherous moments and get the hard and painful work done. This past week they purchased passports for Claudia and their baby Elizabeth. Marilyn and the immigrant advocacy team has come to appreciate the persistent strength of Claudia and her family even while they endure such heartbreaking conditions. Thank you for donating toward the reunification of this sweet family!
You have raised $7,411 online with an additional $2,300 being received in checks totaling $9,711. Claudia, Christian and little Elizabeth thank you! We thank you! We wish this had not happening and these deportation were not happening as these families are integral to our communities fostering economic vitality, friendships, and cultural traditions that enliven the tapestry of this United States, which is a melting pot, which has long been home to the huddles masses yearning to breathe free.
The online campaign has been updating notifying donors that funds will be now directly support the family in rebuilding a life in El Salvador due to this unwarranted deportation (since the couple was eligible for asylum). The campaign is still running. If you would like to share it, you'll find the link below!
We hope these circumstances are a blip in our history and that we return to the welcome we once held dear. We think fondly of the Statue of Liberty's poem. As a community, you truly embody these sentiments.
The New Colossus
By Emma Lazarus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Christian and Claudia came to the United States from El Salvador as minors, ea… Roots & Dreams and Mustard Seeds needs your support for Bring Christian Home!
