Stephany, 26 years old

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Stephany is a second generation immigrant American, who has fought for her family in the midst of adversity. Despite the statistics being against her - a former foster youth, Latin women, and having immigrant parents separated by nationality - she was able to rise past these labels and become a successful entrepreneur.

Stephany’s mother and Stephany’s sister, Roxana, moved to the States during a difficult period in El Salvador’s history. There was a drug war taking place, and the US government offered the Salvadorian Protection act. Her sister qualified, but not her mother. Stephany and her older sister, Tracy, were both born in the US. They lived with Tracy’s father in an abusive environment. Despite Tracy’s father being financially stable, Stephany’s mom removed the three girls and herself from the DV situation and moved away separately. Although they did not have much and were not wealthy, they were loved by their mother. Her mother was warm and nurturing, and made them the priority, no matter how difficult things became. The three girls and Stephany’s mom lived in a 1-br apartment together. When she was 9 years old, there was a shooting in the neighborhood, and ICE came to visit. Her sisters opened the door despite their mother’s request not to, and she was taken from them immediately. When Stephany came home from school and was dropped off at the bus stop, her mom was not there as she always had been in the past. She waited until she couldn’t anymore and went home. Later that same day, she found out that her mom had been deported. ICE also had her mom unknowingly sign a release for deportation and when her brother came with a lawyer, she was already gone. It’s been over 10 years since Stephany has seen her mom. Her sister, Tracy, went home with her abusive father. Roxana, who had just graduated from college lived with her sister, but fell into drugs and abusive relationships, and finally abandoned Stephany. At this point, Stephany moved in with her uncles, who were also abusive. She was eventually moved into the foster care system. At age 15, she was reconnected with her mom for the first time. They did not get a chance to speak until Stephany turned 18. She was unable to file any petitions for her mother to be reunited until she turned 21, and at that point, Stephany did not have the funds to make it happen. Since she has turned 18, Stephany and her mom talk daily and has attempted for __ years to save up the funds to reunite with her mom but other emergencies keep popping up that take away from her savings. Since Stephany started working, she has supported her mother with various basic needs in El Salvador, helped to rebuild after weather caused her mother’s home and belongings to be destroyed. Additionally, Stephany has been supporting her sister, Tracy, after she had her baby and her mental health deteriorated. Her sister, Roxana, is also dealing with her own immigration issues, and Stephany has supported her financially as Roxana finds a way to stay in the US. 7 months ago, Stephany had knee surgery, and had to cover the cost of the surgery along with being 4 months out of work, which dipped once again into her savings. Since then, Stephany has returned to work, but at $21/hour and working full-time while also supporting her mother in El Salvador, has only been able to bring her savings back up to $700. After a lot of research, Stephany found Susan Von Posern, an Immigration Law Attorney in Solana Beach, who provided the most reasonable costs to reunite the family: The first step is the Immigrant visa petition, which costs $1,800 plus a $535 fee to the government. The second step is completing the consular processing, which will cost $3,000 plus $445 to the State Department. The total cost for this will be $5780. Not if, but when, the sisters are reunited with their mother, Stephany plans to move them all in together in their own home so they can be a family once again. “Whereas some people want car or a Disneyland trip, the only thing that I want is my mom. She is going to complete my life and I want to be with her in her final years that she has left in this world.” The pictures She hasn’t seen her in over 10 years she talks every day to her and even if it’s an audio message