Updated 1/4/26

Darlin and her two older children were ordered by USCIS to present proof of intent to self-deport by December 12, 2025. To avoid detention and to minimize the risk to her family's safety, Darlin made the difficult decision to purchase plane tickets to Guatemala. However, the fight is not over and there is much we can still do as a community. Share this petition, join the campaign team and help us continue to put pressure on USCIS, Seattle Public Schools, and the Guatemalan Consulate. We must continue to hold them accountable to stop the deportation and separation of migrant families in South Seattle.

Who is Darlin and her Family?

Darlin is a Guatemalan migrant who came to the U.S. with her family in August 2021 after receiving death threats. Her asylum case was denied in November 2024 but Darlin did not find out her case was denied until 2025. The lawyer in her asylum case abandoned her and did not properly inform her of her rights. She and her two older children have a deportation order. ICE stated that, by December 12, 2025, she would have to present legal documentation that states she is appealing her case or present airline tickets to Guatemala. If she fails to do so, Darlin and her two older sons would be arrested, detained, and deported.

Darlin would be separated from the rest of the family should ICE deport them to Guatemala. The entire family needs support to navigate this threat to their family as it is affecting their ability to get their basic needs met. If they are deported, Darlin shared that she is worried for the safety of her kids, given they have no relatives or a place to go home to in Guatemala.

D, her middle child, is an elementary school student in South Seattle and expresses sadness almost daily about having to leave their friends and school. D is a student that has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and receives speech language therapy as part of the IEP. Here in the U.S., D is able to receive free speech language therapy services in the school. If deported to Guatemala, there is a concern that D would not be able to access the services outlined in his IEP and that there would be a cost associated with receiving services.

Her oldest child, a high school student, is also faced daily with the realization that they may have to leave the classmates they grew up with and the community they built here. Darlin’s courage to share her experience with a teacher at her child’s school is what sparked this community to rally behind her and her family!

Strengthening Darlin’s Community

As a result of Darlin’s bravery to share this threat to her family with a teacher, the teacher then reached out to another educator, also a member of the Tanggol Migrante Movement (Defend Migrants Movement). Members of Tanggol Migrante Movement, Capybara Colectiva, and Anakbayan South Seattle met with Darlin, to learn more about her current situation and needs. They then discussed portions of a Know Your Rights training so that she could be prepared if ICE were to come to her home. These grassroots organizations then asked Defend Migrants Alliance, a national alliance of grassroots organization defending the rights of migrants across the nation, to broaden and support the efforts to stop the deportation process and demand that she receive resources from the school district and the Guatemalan consulate.

Current situation in the Rainier Valley

Since January 2025, schools in our area have been seeing a decrease in their student population because family members or entire families have been deported. As family members are being deported, the family members left in this country are faced with having to make up for lost income and family separation. They also contend with the ongoing fear for their safety and some ultimately decide to self deport too.

ICE presence in the Rainier Valley has increased. ICE is coming in close proximity to schools and entering and arresting migrants in workplaces and public businesses or community gathering places. Migrant families are having to learn about their rights while simultaneously protecting their families from the threat of deportation. ICE has forcibly arrested people in shopping center parking lots and have been spotted patrolling the streets targeting businesses where migrants frequent. As a result, migrants are fearful of going to work, school, doctors appointments, and grocery stores. Communities must rally around our migrant families and neighbors to stop ICE from disrupting and terrorizing our neighborhoods.

JOIN US IN DEMANDING SYSTEMIC CHANGE FOR DARLIN AND HER FAMILY:

JOIN Defend Migrants Alliance, Capybara Colectiva, Anakbayan South Seattle, teachers, and concerned community members as we advocate and build a protective community around Darlin and her family. We ask our community to add your voice to our efforts by signing on as individuals and organizations to show the breadth of support for Darlin, her family, and all migrants.

OUR DEMANDS:

• ICE/ USCIS : Stop the deportation order.
• Seattle Public Schools (SPS): Do not allow another family to be deported. Protect your students outside the classroom and create stronger policies on how to protect migrant families.
• Guatemalan Consulate: Intervene directly to support their nationals and provide legal and financial support to Darlin’s family.

We denounce ICE’s treatment of Darlin’s family and the traumatizing experience they are putting them through.

We will continue to clamor for justice until all migrants are free from here to our homelands!