This narrative tells us the story of Zulema, a woman who leaves her homeland in Mexico because of violence – violence enacted not only by her partner but also by organized crime rings that supported her ex-husband. Upon departing, Zulema fled with her youngest son; she left a daughter with her grandparents. She tells us that her ex-partner has taken her eldest daughter from her and that although she has reported him for domestic violence, she has not found support in the authorities. The only option was to flee and today she is seeking refuge in the United States, dreaming of one day reuniting with her three children and being able to provide them with a safe environment.
Well, I’m Zulema. I’m at Agape World mission, and I am not there by chance or by choice—I’m fleeing from threats and organized crime. In fact, they chased me out and took my daughter. And well, I’m from Guerrero, I’m 23 years old, I’m a single mother and I have three children, although I couldn’t bring my other two daughters, because as I said they took my oldest daughter. I couldn’t bring my other daughter either because I left as fast as possible. I just grabbed my son and my documents without saying goodbye to anyone.
I’m in this shelter because of domestic violence, because of my ex, and also because criminals took my daughter. You can’t mess with them, because if you don’t respect their rules and what they say, they’ll make attempts on your life; they don’t have compassion. Well, back there, when they told me to leave, I left—it’s been a year since I’ve Heard from my daughter.
As for the ones who threatened me, who were going to try to kill me and my son, well over there they don’t help women. I reported my husband but they took his side instead of mine, and like I always say, it’s unfair that they give the benefit of the doubt to the man, when above all else the woman is suffering. And then they trick us and steal our kids, which is obviously unfair. Well, that’s why I’m seeking asylum in the United States, more than anything I’m asking for support, to get my daughter back and see my kids again.
Well, as women, what we want more than anything is for the law to account for what we’ve been through, all the violence, because it’s not easy for women who go through that—we carry it in our heart, all of that, and well, we want your help to make it to the United States, because here in México it’s not the same. In other words, I’d like to be given the opportunity to have my children with me.
Well, as women, what we want more than anything is for the law to account for what we’ve been through, all the violence, because it’s not easy for women who go through that—we carry it in our heart, all of that, and well, we want your help to make it to the United States, because here in México it’s not the same. In other words, I’d like to be given the opportunity to have my children with me.
And more than anything I want people to see the women, not only myself but all of us who’ve been beaten and whose lives have been made difficult. Our husbands treat us badly, especially in my case because of what happened with my daughter, and it weighs on me; it’s so painful that sometimes I just can’t take it. But my God is so great that bit by bit as I pray to Him, He is bringing peace to my heart. Well as I’ve told you, I’ve had such ugly nightmares that sometimes I say “I can’t take it anymore, I can’t anymore” and I feel bad, but I know my God is so great, He will give me the strength I need to make it to the United States and reunite with my family.
Hear the narration of this migrant story and many more through the Franciscan Network for Migrants’ partner, Humanizando La Deportación, a community-based digital storytelling project that documents the human consequences of contemporary regimes of migration and border control in the United States and Mexico. Humanizando La Deportación has been collecting and producing these stories since early 2017, with funding from various grants, and institutional sponsorships from both the University of California, Davis and five Mexican partner institutions.