News & Commentary

María nació en San Sebastián del Grande, Jalisco, MX. Sus padres vinieron a los Estados Unidos para ahorrar dinero. Su plan era ahorrar suficiente dinero y regresar a México. Pero, pronto se dieron cuenta de que iba a tomar más de unos meses para estar en una buena situación financiera, así que decidieron traer a María a los Estados Unidos. Ella tenía siete años cuando llegó a los Estados Unidos. Ahora María es una asistente legal en una oficina de inmigración y se enorgullece de ayudar a las personas que estan en una situación similar a ella.

I first heard about COVID-19 in the news, and the first thing that crossed my mind was “I am going to die.” At I.S.C.C. they are doing a horrible job at keeping inmates safe. I have not been provided any resources or information of the safety measures to take to protect myself. What I know is only from what I hear/see on the news. The facility conducted COVID-19 test on July 10th, but I have felt discouraged to even seek medical care because the medical staff has been denying certain care and just say “we don’t do that anymore.”

Gloria nació en Romita, Guanajuato, MX. Su madre, su hermano mayor y ella emigraron a los Estados Unidos para reunirse con su padre, que ya había estado viviendo en los estados y había encontrado un trabajo estable. Ahora es madre de dos hermosos hijos y a pesar de los obstáculos que se le han puesto en su camino, está decidida a perseverar por sus hijos. Tenía 6 meses cuando llegó a los EE.UU.

I am an inmate within the Idaho Department of Corrections. I became aware of the Coronavirus via the news. I thought, “Oh, great, here’s another virus we need to be aware of.” At first, I wasn't really worried about it, but as time went on, seeing its rapid spread, I worried mainly about my family and friends and how it would affect them. At least they were in a position to deal with it as it presented itself. They have the choice and the option of self-isolation and using/wearing medical masks for their protection. Fortunately, the prison did supply us with masks. Plus, family/friends are able to apply, which I cannot do, social distancing at their discretion. 

Jesús nació en Romita, Guanajuato, MX. Su padre solía venir a los Estados Unidos como trabajador de temporada todos los años desde mediados de los 80’s hasta finales de los 90’s. Pero trabajar como trabajador de temporada trajo muy pocos ingresos a la familia. Su padre finalmente ganó suficiente valor y decidió traer a toda su familia al estado, siendo el primero de su familia en emigrar a los Estados Unidos en 1997. Jesús sólo tenía dos años.    

To whom it may concern,

Lalo was born in Guanajuato, MX. Neither of his parents had the opportunity to further their education in Mexico. His mom had to drop out of school when she was in 2nd grade, and his dad had to drop out when he was in 10th grade. His parents knew the difficulties of pursuing education back home, and they didn’t want that life for their kids. Lalo was just five years old when he came to the U.S. — his dad came first and brought the rest of them over shortly after.

I learned about the pandemic on the news. When I heard about it I was more worried about my family getting it. I am not concerned about my health, only for my family. All the information and safety [measures] I have gotten are from the news, not in the prison.