With your support, UIDN can continue providing lifelines to immigrants like Alex.
A Kekchi Mayan from northern Guatemala, Alex fled violence and persecution in rural Peten. Like so many, he paid a coyote to help him journey to the U.S. Tragically, Alex fell and was left behind in the Sonoran Desert. U.S. Customs & Border Protection found him on the verge of death and brought him to a hospital in Texas.
Alex was eventually transported to upstate New York to be with a family member and immediately went on dialysis for kidney disease. As a result of extreme heat exposure leading to dehydration and occupational exposure to pesticides and other toxins, kidney disease is not uncommon among farm workers. Like others with kidney disease, Alex’s liver also failed.
When the family reached out, UIDN helped secure medical appointments; obtained emergency health insurance based on his dire need for liver and kidney transplants; and helped Alex’s family with food, rent assistance, and transportation. Without UIDN’s persistent case workers, it is likely Alex would have died. He is now completing rehab and will soon be released.
The Sonoran Desert is just one geopgraphic barrier confronting those hoping to cross into the U.S. from the south. The hottest desert in Mexico, it covers 100,000 square miles in Mexico and the U.S.
Photo © Tomas Castelazo, www.tomascastelazo.com / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Mural by Zarai Zaragoza @zzword_art