When Neighbors Come Together

The impact of the idea of losing someone considered a member of the community pushed Friedberg to lead a spontaneous coalition that advocates for Gerson’s case in the complicated and costly immigration arena. Friedberg stated in an interview on La Voz con Mariel Fiori that there was no time to lose: “These cases are complex and urgent… It wasn’t really the initial intention, but it became a necessity. In reality, it was a combination of raising some funds and giving visibility to this particular situation.” NYNUC’s campaign proved to be a profound success by raising $100,000 in less than a month, and they even brought prominence to his case by involving political figures such as Congressman Pat Ryan and Rhinebeck Mayor Gary Bassett.

According to the page created to raise funds for his case, Gerson José Santamaría Turcios arrived in Rhinebeck at the age of 17 in 2019, escaping the persecution he faced in Honduras, his homeland. After completing high school at Rhinebeck, he launched his landscaping business, where he met Viñas, who hired him. Jaime José Viñas, in a recent interview with La Voz, emphasized his strong work ethic as well as his sweet and gentle nature: “We used to work together every week while laughing as we learned how different Honduran Spanish is from Venezuelan Spanish. One time he arrived a few minutes late to the agreed time, which had never happened, sweaty and barely catching his breath. It turns out he had biked 5 miles from his home and was embarrassed to tell me that his car was broken.”

Since July 18 to date, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has transferred Santamaría Turcios through at least six detention centers — from Goshen, to Long Island, to New Jersey, and to several centers in Louisiana — before returning him to New York, to Goshen in Orange County. His advocates stated that he suffered long periods of time handcuffed and with limited access to food and water during transfers across the country. When the advocates learned that Gerson had been sent to Louisiana, alarms went off. According to statistics, this state leads the country in deportation rates. This team managed to stop his deportation, having the young Honduran taken off the plane on the spot, and getting him transferred back to the Goshen detention center at the end of August, an almost impossible milestone in immigration cases.

Since his return to Goshen, just an hour away from Rhinebeck, where they can visit him, says Viñas, Gerson continues to be a source of inspiration for his team, his community, and even his fellow detainees. Jaime states that “His smile at each visit gives us strength and hope, as it does for his fellow inmates.”

The legal fight to free Santamaría Turcios continues, as does the search for funds in his campaign on Spotfund. More information at this link: shorturl.at/k1all.

Bard Student in Immigration Custody

Ali Faqirzada, a 31-year-old Afghan refugee residing in New Paltz and a student at Bard College, was detained by ICE in mid-October after passing his political asylum interview on Long Island. Despite having a valid work permit and no criminal record, Ali was transferred to the Delaney Hall center in New Jersey. His family, who fled the Taliban, now faces uncertainty while the Hudson Valley community calls for his release. More information on the community’s reaction and his family’s plea for help at the following links: go.bard.edu/take-action and gofundme.com/f/support-ali-and-his-family

back to top