Josue’s body was found on April 17th, face down in a river in Honduras, his face brutally beaten, and his money gone. He had recently received money from his sister in Houston to help him travel with me in Magdalena de Kino, Sonora, Mexico, where we all thought he would be much safer. Josue Donaldo Reyes Santa Maria was a good man. A brother to man, and he was only 37 when they took his life.
I met Josue through my work with Building Bridges in Tijuana, where he was my guide, connecting me with key shelters and organizations. He had come on one of the early caravans from Honduras, and later we helped his teenage nephew join him on a second caravan.
Josue was a skilled construction worker, communicator, and immigrant rights activist. He had a remarkable ability to connect with others and help those in need. During his journey, he even did radio interviews with a community radio station in the USA, describing the difficulties of the journey and the compassion they received from many communities.
As someone who had been deported at least four times, Joshua understood the struggles of undocumented immigrants. He was part of a group of immigrants fighting for their rights and helping others survive the journey.
One notable example of Josue’s work was when he helped us find a heavily tattooed young immigrant who had left a gang and fled to Tijuana. Due to his gang history and tattoos, this young man had little chance of asylum. We were able to provide him with food, money, and a sleeping bag donated by a church in Claremont, California.
Josue’s story is a tragic reminder of the dangers faced by immigrants. A criminal element monitors money transfer systems and uses the information to rob recipients. Every day, it seems I hear of immigrants we know who are beaten, raped, robbed, and sometimes killed.
While we fight the deportation of immigrants who have a right to a fair asylum hearing, we do not know what happens to these women, men, and children who are deported. We don’t know, in most cases, what happened to them upon their return.
Family members often hope their loved one will make it, find a job, and soon send desperately needed funds. These deportation tragedies would break he hearts of the worst of Christmas Scrooges. These families’ little hope is replaced with a dark black hole of despair. The remittances these workers send back help to keep their families alive, keep others from having to immigrate ,and contribute to the economic stability of their country of origin
Our current White House immigration policy and actions are beyond inhumane. And we must continue to fight this most brutal and racist system.
Josue’s memory lives on in our hearts and work as we stand up for our rights and theirs. He is PRESENT, still with us in spirit.
JOSUE OF HONDURAS IS DEAD NOW
BUT YOU AREN’T
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