Herminia
Appearances
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
I'm trying to have that conversation with my husband only for now. But, of course, my kids have to be aware, have to be informed of everything that we're going to do or we can do. But at this point, my daughter doesn't want to talk about that. They don't want to think, not even think about that. They started crying and, man, please just, you know, give me five minutes.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
And, you know, it's a conversation that we're supposed to have since he won. But we were not having it.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
I said that with my family like two times. OK, we have to make a plan. We still have not a plan yet.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
I'm going to stay here until the day they catch me. I'm going to stay here until something happens, but hopefully nothing happens. But sometimes, I'm not going to lie to you, yes, sometimes I think about living before everything gets worse. Because, I mean, it's not a life to be thinking about any minute something could happen to me or my husband.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
I am really scared about him because he works in construction. And I know they're going to do, you know, roundup in construction places.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
Yes. I told my husband, please try not to call me when this guy get the power because every time I see your call, I don't want to think the worst.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
Yes. I have nightmares that they catch my husband and I see my kids crying. And then sometimes I have nightmares, like, I am in Nicaragua, and I say, why am I here? Why am I here? I'm not supposed to be here. I mean, sometimes I wake up, like, and I pray. Sometimes I'm working, and I'm overthinking, and I start crying and crying.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
In 2000, she had traveled to the United States from Nicaragua, where she said that the political situation had made it impossible for her to find work and to support her family.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
My little girl is bigger now, so she understands better. Yes, the window is going to roll down. And I think my life is going to be home, work, work, home.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
No. Michael, no. No. I mean, a lot of people that are going to hear this interview are going to say, oh, come on. No.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
everywhere everywhere is gonna become risky i i say starting next week i'm not going to church anymore you're not gonna go to church anymore no i'm not gonna go to church anymore because they are willing to not respect the church either so thank god we have youtube we have a lot of messages online you're gonna watch you're gonna watch church services on online Yes.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
You know, I'm going to try just to go to work, home, homework. That's it.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
I feel secure like that. Staying home, I'm not going to die. I think I will be more depressed if I am out. I mean, my daughter told me that we're going to have to move. So we're going to start looking for another place to stay and try to, day by day, be safe.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
I mean, maybe ahead I take the decision and I leave by my own. But right now my daughters are saying that they will go with me to go, you know, go back to Nicaragua with me. These two girls are very, very attached to me, Michael. My oldest daughter, she's 30. And she said that her dream is to have a duplex where she has me, you know, at the other side of the house.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
And the last time we have a conversation, they say to me they are willing to go with me. But I don't want it. I love them, but... This is their country. Here they have opportunities. So I think maybe that's why I'm not thinking in that way yet. Because I'm thinking of their future. My country have nothing good to, you know, there's no future.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
You know, the youngest one, she got a full scholarship to go to New York.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
And she said, no, I'm not leaving my mom. I think we are not a normal family.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
Yep. So maybe I haven't made that decision yet because I don't want them to be in a country where they can, they're not going to survive. They grew up here in USA. I mean, if I know that I'm going to be safe, if I don't go to church, if I don't go to Walmart, if I don't go anywhere, I don't care. I mean, I don't care. I can stay home.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
At the end of the year in 2006, I received a letter from immigration with the asylum case that it was denied. I appealed, but the judge denied again.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
I don't think I would try to come back, even if I love this country.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
Yeah, because I think I have to have some dignity also.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
No. No. You know, this country has so many beautiful people. I know a lot of Americans that they are really good people. No. No. I would not get bad sentiments about America. I love this country. I love USA. I am very grateful with this country.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
They are responsible for their feelings. And I will never have negative feeling of Americans. And for the people that support deportations, you know, family separations, I leave it to God. I can only say God bless them.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
It was the summer of 2019, just as President Trump, then in his first term, ordered nationwide raids to round up and deport undocumented immigrants
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
The window is down, you know, it's closed. The TV is going to be really low. The light in the living room is going to be off.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
There was no way to fix my situation. A lot of people say, but why you didn't fix your immigration situation? It's not easy. You think I want to be like this?
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
When finally we had the results of the presidency, remember we had to wait for a few days.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
I used to pray every day for Biden to win. When finally that notice came up through CNN, I was watching TV. I started crying. Giving God thanks for this. I opened my windows. I removed the signs. Now I have to put the sign back.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
Yes, of course. I actually, for four years, my window was closed all the time.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
Yes. I say, okay, it's time for the light come back to this house. And I removed the sign, and I went, I mean, it was, everything was different. I felt protected. I knew that even if I have immigration in front of me, nothing was going to happen to me.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
Michael, this is the question that anyone wants to hear. How am I? Scared, worried, but praying God that nothing happened to us. But it's a hard question to start.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
With Biden, yes. I went to Washington. I went to Chicago. I went to different places.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
I went like two or three times to New York. I go to the airport and I show my passport.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
Yeah. Yeah. Even though some people always say, you know, on social media, oh, be careful when you travel. Not to me. I was really sure that I was safe. I felt safe. All I know is I felt that I had the, I mean, the freedom. I felt that I was a U.S. citizen in this country. Because I know we had an administration that was not hunting people that are good people.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
America wasn't against immigrants, not like how they are today.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
Well, actually, when Biden started let everyone in, I knew there was going to be a trouble. I knew there was going to be backwards against him.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
Not in the beginning. But I knew that the American people started to getting mad at him because a lot of people was coming in. Everything started in New York.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
Yeah. And I knew this was going to be something against everyone after. I knew it. Everyone is going to pay the price. I mean, a lot of people around me that have no papers, which, you know, I get frustrated listening to them, that they are undocumented. They were really mad about the people coming in today, you know, through the border. And I said, we cannot be selfish.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
We came the same way looking for the same dreams.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
Yeah. I talked to people that have no papers. They've been here for so long. They are referring to the ones that started crossing the border after 2020. They are really mad because if people that say, look, I have 25 years in this country and I never had the chance to have even a work permit. I pay taxes. I do this. I do this. I know why these people come and have everything easy.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
I mean, ask someone that is undocumented in this country for more than two decades, you know, trying to do the right thing, paying taxes, working, raising my kids. And then someone come and, you know, threatening people like me, families that can be separated. I'm having nightmares. I'm not sleeping well. I'm not okay.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
Yes, sir. And you know what? I don't say that way. I am not saying, oh, close the border. No, because I am one of them. I am undocumented. I can't say that. Never, ever.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
Look, at the end of this administration, everything was out of control. We can't be blind because it's the truth. I mean, it was out of control. There was a point where the news everywhere were talking about people doing not the right things, especially in New York. And I think this is something that the American people got mad for.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
Yep. Because in this community is a lot of Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, and Cubans. So as I always say, they missing dictatorship. They missing to live in a dictatorship.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
Oh, of course. Of course. They don't want freedom. They don't really want freedom. So... I wasn't surprised. I was kind of sure that he was going to win. Of course, I got worried because at this time he's coming stronger, threatening, you know, planting hate worse than ever.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
It's been a few years, but it sounds like it was yesterday. I remember your voice now.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
What they say is, oh, don't worry, he's not going to touch the good people, only the criminals. That's what they have in mind. And you talk to them today and they're going to tell you that. They say only criminals.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
No, this is not about you. You are a good person. You pay your taxes. You don't get in trouble. It's only for criminals. Don't worry. You are safe. You'll see. It's only with criminals. I know it's not only with criminals. It's with everyone. I have a friend. I have a very close friend. And after the election, I found out that he voted for Trump.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
Yeah, of course. He's one of my best friends. And I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it. I cried like you have no idea. Wow. Because I said, look, it's not about freaking politics. How come you're going to do that to me?
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
No, don't worry. You don't have to think about it because the more you say, the more it's going to happen. Don't worry. Okay, it's not going to happen to me, but it's going to happen to families out there. It doesn't hurt you. And you yourself, you call yourself Christian in church every Sunday? I mean, it doesn't hurt you just to think that a lot of families are going to be separated.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
He came to my house after that. I mean, I'm trying to be, you know, like normal, but inside me, it's not the same anymore. It hurts, Michael. You know what? Because it's not because Trump is not about politics. is that you know what's coming. You know this man is coming for me, for my family.
The Daily
Waiting for the Immigration Raids, Again
I mean, I'm not okay because I know next week it's going to be hard for a lot of people.